


Little Rey

by MVKramer



Category: Little Dorrit - Charles Dickens, Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars Episode VII: The Force Awakens (2015), Star Wars Episode VIII: The Last Jedi, Star Wars Sequel Trilogy
Genre: Action/Adventure, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, BAMF Chewbacca, BAMF Leia Organa, Bisexual Luke, Bisexual Mara, Class Issues, Creepy Kylo Ren, Crossover, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Emotional Manipulation, Emotional/Psychological Abuse, Eventual Romance, F/F, F/M, Force Ghost Therapy, Force Ghosts, Kylo Ren Being a Little Shit, Kylo Ren Throws A Tantrum, Kylo Ren is Not Nice, Luke Skywalker Lives, Luke Skywalker has PTSD, Luke and Rey Are Not Related, M/M, May/December Relationship, Mind Rape, Mystery, Not Canon Compliant - Star Wars: The Last Jedi, Older Man/Younger Woman, Older Woman/Younger Woman, Onesided Poe Dameron/Luke Skywalker, Past Mara Jade/Luke Skywalker - Freeform, Pining, Poe Dameron Has PTSD, Poor Everyone, Poor Poe, Poor Rey, Slow Burn, Slow Romance, The Dark Side of the Force, Upperclass Twits, poor Finn, poor luke
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-04-30
Updated: 2019-04-24
Packaged: 2019-04-30 04:46:26
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 12
Words: 40,264
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14489121
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MVKramer/pseuds/MVKramer
Summary: Luke believes Rey is a new Chosen One. With her mysterious origin and her strength in the Force, it makes a disturbing amount of sense. Luke doesn't want to train a Chosen One, especially not after the night Kylo Ren fell to the Dark Side and Luke was tempted. But not everything is as it seems...not even Luke's memories.





	1. Doubtful Victory

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which Kylo Ren monologues to make himself feel better, Finn is a confused and reluctant hero, and Rose expresses her doubts about the resistance to a mysterious officer.

Kylo Ren rode the lift up to the Supreme Leader’s throne room. It was the longest lift ride he had ever experienced.

 _Wounded by an untrained nobody_. His skin crawled with shame and self-loathing. The triumph of having finally overcome one of his weaknesses, of having cut down Solo, was a distant memory. _How could I have been so weak? It was beginner’s luck. It must have been luck. It won’t happen again_.

But would Supreme Leader Snoke believe that? If he did not, Kylo would suffer. Not from physical torture; the Supreme Leader only gave him physical pain to train him. But he knew that he would leave the Supreme Leader’s throne room feeling like a failure. The Supreme Leader had a way of shaming him, of cruelly tearing down his pride and self-esteem, until he felt as weak and useless as Skywalker’s Jedi.

 _Please help me, Lord Vader_. Darth Vader had always supported him. In some ways, his grandfather’s spirit had been more of a mentor to him than the Supreme Leader had been. So far, Lord Vader had never comforted him when he had met with the Supreme Leader, but perhaps today would be different. Kylo breathed more easily as the lift doors opened.

The Supreme Leader sat on his throne, surrounded by the Praetorian Guard. General Hux stood before him. Kylo smiled. The Supreme Leader must be berating Hux, as that incompetent little bootlicker deserved. _You lost Starkiller Base, General! Weasel your way out of this!_

“Hux’s new toy appears to be working,” the Supreme Leader said. “The Resistance will soon be in our grasp.”

“Thank you, Supreme Leader,” Hux said with a bow. He whirled around and strode toward the lift. Kylo slowly stepped into the room, hiding his outrage. The Supreme Leader was _complimenting_ Hux? There was no punishment? No execution? Not even a demotion? Hux smirked at Kylo as he stepped into the lift. Kylo just barely stopped himself from Force-choking him.

“You wonder why I keep a rabid cur in such a place of power,” said the Supreme Leader, smiling. “A cur’s weakness, properly manipulated, can be a sharp tool.” His smile disappeared, and he asked sharply, “How’s your wound?”

Kylo felt his face heat up behind his mask. Scarred by a piece of desert trash, by a little girl without training or knowledge, without even a real _name_ , for the Force’s sake. “It’s nothing,” was all he said.

“The mighty Kylo Ren,” the Supreme Leader sneered, descending the dais. Kylo’s stomach knotted up. Snoke was mocking him, just as he had before, but he had no power over him. Kylo didn’t care what Snoke thought. He only cared what Lord Vader thought. _Help me, Lord Vader_. _Please_.

“When I found you, I saw what all masters live to see: raw, untamed power. And beyond that, something truly special.”

He paused. Kylo waited desperately for Darth Vader’s voice to come into his mind. But as usual, Lord Vader was silent when Snoke was speaking to him. There was no calm, only anger and shame and humiliation.

“The potential of your bloodline. A new… _Vader_ ,” Snoke whispered. His whisper filled Kylo’s mind. “Now, I fear I was mistaken.”

The word _mistaken_ nearly shattered Kylo’s control. He bit his lip to hold back a scream, stilled his muscles to keep himself from stabbing Snoke, or from throwing him across the room with the Force. Despite nearly quivering with humiliation and rage, he tried to keep his voice calm. “I gave everything I have to you. To the dark side.”

Snoke stared at Kylo for a moment, before hissing, “Take that ridiculous thing _off_.”

 _Ridiculous_ …Kylo’s mind filled with memories. Hux looking at him in scorn the first time he put on the helmet, the desert girl’s look of anger, without a trace of fear, Solo looking at him with _pity_ … _pity_ …that was the worst of all…but he was Darth Vader’s heir, his successor, he knew it…but Snoke had given him an order, and Snoke was Supreme Leader.

He removed the helmet, letting the Supreme Leader see his scar, and steeling himself for the worst. It came.

“Yes, there it is. You have too much of your father’s heart in you, young Solo.”

“I _killed_ Han Solo,” Kylo said, hiding his fury. _I am not Solo. I am not that weak!_ “When the moment came, I didn’t hesitate.”

“And look at you. The deed split your spirit to the bone!”

_It did not! If it did, would I be here in front of you?_

“You were _unbalanced_ ,” Snoke continued, his voice growing harsher and rougher. “Bested by a girl who had never held a lightsaber! You _failed_!”

At this word, Kylo gritted his teeth and stepped forward, the Force raging inside him… _You’ll pay!_...but was immediately thrown backwards with lightning. The sharp pain, added to the pain in his stomach from Chewbacca’s bowcaster, nearly tore a scream from his throat. He clenched his teeth until they hurt, keeping himself silent using all the training he had. But it was not enough to stop him from writhing in agony, or to prevent tears from coming to his eyes. Through blurred vision, he saw the Praetorian Guards train their weapons on him, then snap back to attention. As the pain died down, Snoke spoke again.

“Skywalker lives,” Snoke growled. Kylo nearly protested at that— _I tried to kill him that night! I tried!_ —but Snoke had already turned his back to him and was climbing up to the dais again. “The seed of the Jedi Order lives. As long as it does, hope lives in the Galaxy.” He whirled around. “I thought you would be the one to snuff it out.” He sank back onto his throne, shaking his head in obvious disappointment. “Alas, you’re no Vader. You’re just a child in a mask.”

Kylo was dismissed, although Snoke had not explicitly said so. He turned around and walked back to the lift, using all his training to keep his emotions hidden and his head held high. Once he was inside the lift and the doors had closed, he unleashed all his emotions, letting the Dark Side of the Force overwhelm him. He slammed his helmet into the wall. Glass shattered with a crash, and sparks flew. _Take that ridiculous thing off_. He smashed the helmet into the wall again. _You failed_. He slammed it again, and again. _I was mistaken. You’re no Vader. You’re just a child in a mask_.

The doors opened. Hurriedly, Kylo tucked the helmet under his arm and tried to get his emotions back under control. Despite his efforts, he was still seething when he strode out of the lift. Officers snapped to attention when they saw him, but he did not acknowledge them. He did not even look around or let himself relax until he reached his quarters.

Once he was alone, he glanced at the helmet under his arm and almost dropped it in surprise. It was a wreck, mangled almost beyond recognition. He must have been using the Force to fuel his anger. Remorsefully, he cradled it in his hands. He had destroyed one of the symbols of his power, the part of his uniform inspired by his grandfather.

 _Kylo_.

The deep, resonant voice filled his mind, calming his anger, as it always did.

“Lord Vader,” Kylo whispered. “Forgive me, Lord Vader. I am still devoted to you. I would still give my life to serve you.”

 _I know, my son, I know._ Darth Vader’s voice was sympathetic.

“It’s Snoke,” Kylo said. He knew his grandfather could hear his thoughts, but he could not stop himself from speaking aloud. “He torments me and mocks me and sneers at me. Nothing I do is good enough for him, just like it wasn’t good enough for Skywalker and Solo and Organa.”

 _As nothing I did was good enough for the Jedi. I share your pain, my son, more than you know_.

“They tried to hold you back, just like Skywalker tried to hold me back,” Kylo went on. “And when we dared stand up for ourselves, when we dared to do what Skywalker and the other Jedi were too cowardly to do themselves, they tried to kill us! So much for the peace-loving Jedi! Hypocrites, all of them!”

 _Hypocrites_ , Darth Vader agreed.

“Snoke has no room to complain. Haven’t I done everything he’s told me to do? Haven’t I gone farther in upholding your legacy than anyone has? It wasn’t my fault the scavenger beat me once. She caught me off guard! She was lucky! When I see her again, I will show her how lucky she was. I’ll choke her until she dies. More than that, I’ll do more than probe her mind. I will destroy it completely.”

_Good, Kylo, good. Let the hate flow through you._

Kylo opened himself to the Dark Side of the Force. It roared through his mind and body, a torrent of anger and hatred, fierce pride and triumph. “And I will pay Skywalker back too. I’ll maim him, like you were maimed. I’ll let him die gasping out his last, like he did to you. He’ll know you’ve been avenged!”

 _Yes, my son, yes! That will be fitting. Kill Skywalker as he killed me. You are a worthy Sith, my son_.

“Yes,” Kylo said, smiling. “I knew it. I always knew Snoke was wrong. But you’re right, as usual, Lord Vader. I _am_ your heir, am I not? I _am_ a worthy successor?”

 _You are, my son. Snoke is a fool. But patience, my son. Someday, your sweetest revenge will be on him_.

“Of course,” Kylo whispered. The Dark Side of the Force seemed to flare up in response. Why had he not thought of it before? Snoke had been tormenting him for so long.  And then there were the natural consequences of the Sith Rule of Two. Darth Vader had killed Darth Sidious…how could he have forgotten? “Thank you, Lord Vader. Thank you for reminding me.”

_Yes. We will have our revenge on Snoke, together._

He began imagining ways he would kill Snoke: stabbing him with his lightsaber as he had stabbed Solo, throwing him into a bottomless shaft or out an airlock, Force-choking him until his sunken, beady eyes bulged and wheezing noises escaped from his lipless mouth. Perhaps he would not even bother with the Force. Perhaps he would have his Stormtroopers turn their blasters on Snoke and fire on him at once, fire on him until not even his ashes remained.

His spirits rose again as he thought of his upcoming revenge. All the while, Darth Vader’s voice was in his head, praising him, soothing him, urging him on to more power and more hatred.

* * *

“Rey!”

Finn woke up, calling her name, and banged his head on something. He winced, and his eyes watered. He tried to lift his hand, and pain shot through his arm. He tried lifting his other hand more slowly, and this time he managed it, though this arm was still sore. Rubbing the throbbing lump on his head, he blinked the tears out of his eyes and looked around him.

This was not the snowy forest on Starkiller Base. He was in a white room, lying on what felt like a cot—a gurney?—with transparent material over his head. There was a briny smell, like the oceans on several planets he’d served on. He looked down and saw he was wearing a flexpoly bacta suit, an old model.

He was alive, though he must have been seriously injured. But there was no sign of Rey.

“Where’s Rey?” he asked. He had to get out of this bed, had to find her. His muscles protested as he tried to move. The gurney shook and creaked under him, as he tried to swing his legs over the side, but his body wasn’t cooperating. _“Where’s Rey?_ ”

Suddenly a short-haired woman was by his side, gently pressing a hand to his shoulder, pushing him back down. “Easy, there, Finn. You got stabbed in the back by a lightsaber.”

“Where’s Rey? Where am I? Who are you?” Finn struggled to sit up.

“Lie still,” said the woman. “I’m Dr. Kalonia, and you’re on the _Raddus_. We had to evacuate D’Qar.”

“Oh.” At least he wasn’t back with the First Order. The Resistance must have found him in the forest. “But Rey…”

“Rey is safe. We found the map to Luke Skywalker, and Rey went with Chewbacca and R2-D2 to find him. To bring him back to the Resistance.”

“Oh,” Finn said again, relaxing. Now that he knew they’d escaped and that Rey was safe, he was content to lie back and look around the room. It didn’t look like a hospital. The other patients around him were lying on gurneys like his, and the room was filled with crates and equipment.

“How do you feel?” Dr. Kalonia asked.

“My neck’s stiff, and I’m sore.”

“Not surprising. But you’re all right. We’re all fine, thanks to you.” Dr. Kalonia smiled. “Thanks to you, we stopped the Starkiller Weapon. You’re a hero, Finn.”

Finn felt uncomfortable; he had no idea what to say. Dr. Kalonia turned away. “I’ll be right back. I’m just going to find someone to help me get that suit off you.”

Finn watched her leave the room, still pondering what she’d said before. _Thanks to him_ , she’d said. But he’d barely done anything. It was Poe and Red Squadron who’d taken out the Starkiller Weapon. _Poe_ …

This situation didn’t feel much like a victory, no matter what the doctor said. He saw a tall, dark-haired officer come into the room, sit down next to the neighboring gurney, and start talking with the patient lying there. Neither of them looked happy.

Dr. Kalonia came back the next moment, with a couple of orderlies, who began to help him out of the bacta suit. Finn shivered at the feel of the air on his body. “Where’s Poe?” Finn asked.

“Just getting back from an attack on the _Finalizer_ ,” said Dr. Kalonia. Her face was so grim that Finn asked fearfully, “What? Is he all right? Is Red Squadron all right?”

“Commander Dameron is fine. They’re all fine,” said Dr. Kalonia, a bit too quickly. “No need to worry about them.”

“But I _am_ worried. What’s wrong with them?”

There was silence for a moment, before Dr. Kalonia said, “Nothing too serious, but I’ll let Commander Dameron tell you himself. He’s been waiting for you to wake up.”

“Poe? Waiting for me?” Finn’s heart seemed to skip a beat.

“Almost every day.” By now, the doctor and the orderlies had taken the suit off Finn and were helping him to lie down again. One orderly pulled a blanket over him. “I’ll let you have a talk with him before we fix up your back. But I’m warning you: don’t get out of this bed, or I won’t answer for the consequences.”

She and the orderlies walked away, and almost immediately, Poe came running into the room, grinning widely, his arms outstretched. “Finn! Buddy!” He dropped his arms, knelt down by Finn’s cot. “Sorry; I almost forgot, the doctor said not to give you a hug. How you feeling?”

“Better,” said Finn, feeling the smile on his own face. It was the truth. How did Poe do it? How did he make things better just by coming into a room? And there was BB-8 rolling up next to him, beeping excitedly. “Hi, BB-8. It’s good to see you too.”

“BB-8 and I have been here as much as we could,” said Poe. “I just got back from a mission, or I would have been here when you woke up. And then Dr. Kalonia wouldn’t let us in until you were out of the suit.”

“Right, the attack on the _Finalizer_ ,” said Finn, his anxiety creeping up on him again. Now that he saw Poe’s face up close, Poe did not look well at all. His face was pale, there were dark circles under his eyes, and he seemed to be thinking hard about something. “What happened? Did something go wrong?”

“We lost the battle,” Poe said.

“ _What_?” Several people looked over at the sound of Finn’s voice; the dark-haired officer near the neighboring cot frowned at him. Finn’s face heated up as he said in a lower voice, “What happened?”

“We were ambushed by TIEs. It was my…well, I made a mistake.” Poe half-smiled, but it seemed fake. “It happens.”

“Did Kylo Ren do something to you? Did he use the Force on you to find out our location?” Finn held his breath, bracing himself for the answer.

“No! Kriff, no, nothing like that! _I’m_ fine. I’m just upset; I should have done better…but you? You’re a hero! Everyone on the _Raddus_ is talking about you!”

“That’s what Dr. Kalonia said.” Finn looked away and saw the dark-haired officer walking away from her friend on the cot. She turned and glared at him, and Finn shivered. There was hatred in her face, real, fierce loathing. For him? The next minute, she’d turned her head again. It was so quick Finn wondered if it were real.

“I have to report to the General,” Poe said, standing up. “And _you_ have to get bandaged up. I’ll come back as soon as I can.”

“Who was that woman?” The words popped out of Finn’s mouth.

“What woman?”

“The officer who was talking to the guy next to me.”

“Oh, that’s Lieutenant Wade. She and Carne go way back, so I guess she stopped by to check on him.” Poe frowned suddenly. “What’s wrong, buddy?”

“It’s just…the way she looked at me. ‘If looks could kill…’” Finn shivered again. He couldn’t help himself. “Or did I imagine it?”

Poe shifted from what foot to the other. BB-8 chirped softly. There was a long silence. Finally, Poe said, “Lieutenant Wade was from Alderaan. But she…she’s not as forgiving as the General.”

A new thought dawned on Finn. “Wait…you’re saying she blames _me_ for the Destruction of Alderaan? But how…I mean, I wasn’t even _born_ then! Do I remind her of someone?”

“She’s never said. But there’s no one in the Resistance who hates the First Order more. She’s been fighting the Empire and the First Order as long as the General and Admiral Ackbar. But she’s, well…” Poe shifted on his feet again. “I’d avoid her if I were you, buddy.”

“I was planning to,” Finn said. He shut his eyes. He wasn’t a hero, like Poe and Dr. Kalonia said. But he hadn’t destroyed Alderaan, like that lieutenant seemed to think. Poe had lost a battle. And Rey was gone, off to search for a long-lost Jedi. It was going to take him a long time to process it all.

* * *

Lieutenant Wade walked slowly down into the bowels of the _Raddus_. She nodded coldly to the few people she met on the way but did not bother speaking to them. A few looked at her curiously, but it did not matter. She knew whom she was looking for.

In a lower corridor, she saw her: a round-faced, black-haired girl dressed in the jumpsuit of a maintenance worker. She was sitting against the wall, huddled up and sobbing.

“Rose Tico?” Lieutenant Wade asked, in a soft, pleasant voice.

Rose Tico shuddered, sniffled, and wiped her eyes. “Yes?” she croaked, not looking up.

“Of course, Paige Tico’s sister! I should have known, from the name and the resemblance…” The tone of Lieutenant Wade’s voice changed; a note of sadness crept in. “I’m sorry about your sister. She died a hero’s death.”

Rose looked up suddenly, with reddened eyes. “Thank you, Lieutenant?” she said anxiously. “I should probably be going now…”

“What’s the matter, Rose? Are you afraid of me?”

“I—I don’t know, Lieutenant. I shouldn’t be. But every time you’ve talked to me, it’s been when…when…”

“When what?”

Rose’s voice was barely higher than a whisper. “WhenI’vehaddoubtsabouttheResistance.”

Lieutenant Wade hid a smile. “Sorry, could you repeat that? I didn’t quite catch…”

“When I’ve had doubts about the Resistance!” Rose frantically looked around, but there was no one else in the corridor. “Why’d you make me say it? You already know…”

“How could I possibly know?”

“I don’t know, but it’s like you come to me like my own anger, my own hatred, my own—whatever it is—I don’t know what it is. But it’s all useless; oh, it’s all useless!”

Rose bent over and sobbed again. Now that she wasn’t looking at her, Lieutenant Wade allowed herself to smile.

“Five years we’ve been fighting. Five years, and no one’s coming to help us. They’re all in league with the First Order, or they just don’t care, and no one’s really doing anything about them! I hate them. If they really cared, they’d do what it takes, they’d kill Snoke and Kylo Ren and Hux and the others. If they really cared, it would all be over now; Paige wouldn’t have died!”

“You must be patient.”

“I _can’t_ be patient anymore!”

“If we decide to be cautious, if we decide not to sink to the First Order’s level, that’s as important as victory.”

“What does it matter, when they’re destroying us!”

“Shhh! Calm down. You must remember you’re not an officer. You don’t know what strategy our leaders have planned.”

“Who cares? I’ll leave if this lasts much longer. I’ll do _something_. I won’t stand it; I can’t stand it; I’ll die if I have to stand it any longer!”

Lieutenant Wade stood silently, watching the girl gasp out her bitter words between sobs. Rose clenched her fists and pounded her knees, gripped handfuls of her hair, until her sobs began to quiet and her breathing started to return to normal. Eventually, she bowed her head and hid it in her hands, as if to hide her face from Wade.

“Go away!” she said, her voice muffled. “Go away and leave me alone! When I get these feelings, I go crazy. I know I could keep them away if I tried hard enough, and sometimes I do try hard enough, but sometimes I don’t. What was I saying? Whatever it was, it was wrong. The Resistance is doing everything they can. It wasn’t their fault Paige died. I still want to fight.” She looked up at Lieutenant Wade. “I _am_ afraid of you, Lieutenant. I get scared enough when I have these feelings, and you just make them worse. I _know_ I could get better if I were left alone.”

“All right, then,” said Lieutenant Wade, shrugging. “But I’m not trying to make things worse; I just want to help you. If you ever feel upset, or like you need to talk, you should come to me.”

Rose did not answer, or even look at her. Smiling to herself, Lieutenant Wade went back up to the higher decks, leaving Rose sitting silently in the dark.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Most of the dialogue in this chapter taken from "The Last Jedi" and its novelization by Jason Fry. Some dialogue adapted from Chapter 2 of Charles Dickens' "Little Dorrit," "Fellow Travelers".
> 
> Miss Wade is a character in Charles Dickens' "Little Dorrit". Her Star Wars doppelganger is an officer, for obvious reasons.


	2. Fellow Mourners

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which Rey brings back Luke's lightsaber and his traumatic memories, Chewbacca and Luke mourn Han together, and Luke senses a new disturbance in the Force.

Luke knew someone was here. Despite his disconnection from the Force, he knew someone had come to Ach-To and was on his island, was climbing the stairs even now. Panic was twisting his stomach and filling his mind with confused, stupid thoughts. _Have to hide…they’ll know if I don’t…they’ll know what I did…have to get away…how did they find me? How did they find me?_

But what did it matter if they did find him and learn what he’d done? He had known seven years ago there would be a reckoning sometime. He had been putting off the dreaded day, but now he would face judgment for his failure, his fall. He would look into the eyes of his sister and his best friend and see the horror and disgust there. He would see them turn away from him in revulsion and fear, or see their blasters pointed at him. And then…what? Would he die, or would he be left alive, to fall completely, to be fully embraced by the Dark Side?

 _No. I’ll kill myself first. I’ll beg them to kill me. I will never be so weak again. I’ll_ …his thoughts scattered as he sensed the person reaching the top of the crumbling stairs.

He turned around, pushed back his hood, and stared, surprised, at a young girl. Not Han, not Leia, not Ben—Kylo—but someone he’d never seen before in his life.

She seemed tired from the climb, but she slowly walked towards him, gazing at him with awe and— _reverence_? No, it couldn’t be. The last time he’d seen such a look had been seven years ago, when his students had been alive…he frowned and cleared his head, focusing on her obvious physical traits. A tall, gawky-looking girl, probably in her teens, with dark hair pulled back behind her ears, and pale eyes. A dirty, exhausted-looking face. Tunic, vest, and trousers in drab colors. A staff on her back. Obviously not a Resistance soldier, or a smuggler, or a Stormtrooper, or a Knight of Ren. Probably an ordinary person from somewhere in the Outer Rim, and a poor one, judging from her clothing and the primitive weapon she carried. But why had she come to see him, and how had she known he was on Ach-To in the first place?

Luke opened his mouth to speak— _Who are you? What do you want?_ —but the words died in his throat when she held out his lightsaber to him.

Sickness overcame Luke. He thought he might vomit, or collapse, but he stayed standing and kept his emotions hidden, from long training and habit. He automatically took the lightsaber from the girl’s hand and held it, even as the memories rushed back. _The dark room, the darkness that surrounded his nephew, and his nephew waking, and then…no. No! NO!_

He threw the lightsaber over the cliff behind him. Not even looking to see where it landed, he strode down the stairs to his hut. His hands felt filthy from touching the weapon. Thankfully, there was no sound of footsteps behind him. He reached the hut, strode inside, and slammed the metal door. Now that he was safe from prying eyes, he let himself sink down onto the stone floor, shaking. His hands still felt soiled, but he couldn’t move to the basin of water on the other side of the hut. He seemed incapable of doing anything but sitting on the floor, shuddering as the memories came into his mind, faster and faster.

_He’d gone into his nephew’s room, just to check on him…to see…_

_The darkness, the foulness of Ben’s Force signature…_

_Not again…not the Empire again…_

_One stab would end it…one stab would stop it…_

Nausea welled up in him. Luke bent over and vomited on the floor. As the stink filled his nostrils, shame surfaced. He used to vomit whenever he remembered that night, for three or four years after it happened. Since then, he had grown calmer, he’d been able to keep the horror at bay. But seeing and touching his lightsaber had brought it all back.

There was a knock at the door, and a girl’s voice. “Master Skywalker, I’m from the Resistance. Your sister Leia sent me.”

 _She_  is _from the Resistance. But why did Leia send her_? _To torture me_? No, Leia would never do such a thing, even if she knew…but how could she know? Never mind, she must know, or she wouldn’t have sent someone. Luke sat miserably, huddled on the floor and smelling his own vomit, and didn’t answer.

“We need your help. We need you to come back.”

 _Then Leia doesn’t know. She still thinks I’m a hero…but to come back and drag Leia and Han and the entire Resistance down with him…no!_ He began shaking again. Once, he’d mistaken himself for a hero, and look what had happened. _Not again…don’t make me do this again_ …

 _Not the Empire again_ …the nausea came back, but Luke shut his eyes and emptied his mind. This time, he managed to keep from vomiting. This time, his breathing started to slow down and grow calm again. And then the knocks on the door came again, louder this time. He covered his ears, but there was no blocking them out, or the voice of the strange girl: “Master Skywalker? Hello? _Hello_?”

“Go away!” Luke finally said. His voice was hoarse and seemed rusty from disuse. But the girl should be able to hear it. And even if she didn’t, if he stayed hidden, she’d get tired or bored and leave. He began to breathe more deeply. Yes, he was right; she wasn’t knocking or calling out to him anymore. She’d leave soon. His tense muscles began to relax. He could outlast her, all he had to do was stay…

 _CRASH_. Luke jumped as the door was lifted off its hinges and thrown against the far wall. A familiar Wookie stormed into the hut, snarling and roaring.

“ _Chewie_?” Luke said, shock and guilt mingling with delight. “What are you doing here?”

“ _What Rey said: we’re here to bring you back!”_ snarled Chewie. “ _Now stop sulking; you’re coming back with us_!”

The girl’s face appeared around the edge of the doorway. “He says you’re coming back with us.”

“I got that,” Luke snapped. Had she come all this way just to pester him? To Chewie, he said, “You shouldn’t be here.”

 _“Well,_ you _shouldn’t be_ here! _”_ Chewie retorted. “ _We’ve needed your help for seven years, and it turns out you’ve been_ hiding _from us!”_

“How did you find me?” Luke asked him.

“Long story,” the girl piped up. “We’ll tell you on the _Falcon._ ”

“The _Falcon_?” Another name he thought he’d never hear again. “Wait…where’s Han?”

And then Chewie’s shoulders slumped, he moaned in grief, and Luke knew. Oh, Force, _he knew_ , even before the girl said tearfully, “Han…went to rescue Kylo…his son. He’s…he was…Kylo Ren murdered him.”

 _One stab would end it_ … _one stab would stop it_ …

But thanks to Luke, this future was worse than any Force vision he’d ever had. Not even in his worst visions had Kylo Ren killed his own father. Han was gone, gone completely from the world. He would never even become one with the Force, and it was his own son’s doing. His son’s and his _friend’s_ doing. The blood was on Luke’s hands as much as on Kylo’s.

Luke covered his face with his hands and sobbed. His tears poured from his eyes and ran between his fingers. He moaned as loudly as Chewie, rocking back and forth. _Oh, Force, Han_! _I’m sorry, I’m sorry, I’m sorry_ …his sobs seemed to be torn out of his throat, he was making noises like a wounded animal…and he was crushed in a furry embrace, and Chewie’s own moans and wails were echoing in his ears. Luke clung to his old friend, unable to stop himself. Later, Chewie would learn that he was a false friend, a hypocrite to mourn Han’s death. Now, he and Chewie were grieving together.

Luke wept until he was exhausted. His sore eyes heavy, he let Chewie guide him to the pallet by the far wall. He fell asleep as soon as he dropped onto the mattress.

* * *

Luke woke up to bright sunlight streaming through the open door. He’d overslept. He threw off his blanket, rose to his feet. His eyes felt dry and crusty, and his clothes were crushed and sweaty from sleeping in them. What had gotten into him?

“ _Ah, you’re awake.”_

Oh, right, Chewie was here, sitting against the far wall. Which meant Han was…Luke sank back onto the pallet, his eyes filling with tears again. He would die now, lie down and waste away…nothing else mattered…

 _“What are you doing? Pack up and get changed; it’s already late!”_ growled Chewie.

 “What do you mean?” Luke choked. His voice sounded pathetic. Wiping his eyes on his sleeve, he cleared his throat. “What do you mean?” he asked again, in a voice that was tired but steady.

_“We’ve got to fly back to the Resistance! Leia’s probably wondering what’s happened to us.”_

“I’m not going with you,” Luke said wearily.

_“I know you’re upset. I am too. But you can mourn on the_ Falcon, _and…”_

“I told you; I’m not going.”

_“Stop being stubborn and get ready! There’s no time to wallow in self-pity; this is serious!”_

“ _I’m_ serious, Chewie: I’m not going. I’m sorry, I really am. But I’m staying right here.”

Chewie stood up, towering over Luke, bristling with fury. _“What are you doing, Luke? Just what game are you playing?”_

Luke did not answer. Chewbacca went on, “ _Hiding here on this rock, while your nephew enslaves the Galaxy! Hiding from us all for seven years, when we need your help! We’re fighting for the Galaxy’s freedom, and Luke Skywalker is skulking here like a coward!”_

“I’m _not_ a coward!” Luke said fiercely. Even as he said it, new doubts began to creep into his mind. “I’m keeping the Galaxy _safe_ by hiding! You don’t understand…”

“ _Then tell me. Tell me why you’ve been ignoring the Resistance. Tell me why you won’t even come to help us, when the General,_ your sister, _needs you. Why you won’t come help us even after Han died!”_

Luke’s anger died as quickly as it had risen. He looked at Chewbacca. _The darkness surrounding his nephew, and he drew his lightsaber to end it, to end it before the worst happened_ … _one stab_ …he looked at Chewbacca and he couldn’t say a word.

“ _So, Han died for nothing. So, you’ve gone soft and lazy in your old age._ ” Chewbacca’s growls were full of contempt.

The memory was still there in his mind, and Chewie’s words had added fresh pain to the wounds. “Chewie, please,” Luke said, his voice trembling. “Please, for the Force’s sake…don’t…don’t…”

“ _Don’t what?_ ” Chewie said in surprise. “ _Oh, kriff, Luke you thought…Force!”_ His shoulders slumped again. It took Luke a while to realize that Chewie was _embarrassed._ He couldn’t remember the last time Chewie had been embarrassed. “ _Did you think I meant what I was saying? Force, no; I was doing it to make you mad! To bring back your courage!”_ There was pity in his sunken eyes as he stared at Luke. _“I’m sorry, I didn’t know you’d take it to heart._ ”

“I—I didn’t,” Luke said. _Han died for nothing_. _Soft and lazy_. _Not again_. “I mean—” Where had all his control gone? “—you have the right to yell at me. To—to hate me.”

 _“Hate you?”_ Chewie’s growls rose several octaves. _“How could I ever hate you? Luke, what’s happened to you? Tell me.”_

 Luke breathed deeply. The memories were fading, and he had managed to get his voice back under control. “I can’t tell you. I get why you’re angry, Chewie. But there are reasons…I can’t explain them now. Go back and tell Leia I’m sorry, but it’s better for us all for me to stay here. Better for the Galaxy. She’ll learn why, eventually…go back and tell her.”

“ _We’re not going back without you.”_

“I told you, it’s better…”

 _“But you haven’t told me why! Either you tell me and Rey why you’re hiding out here, or we’ll drag you back to the Resistance by your beard!_ ”

Luke breathed deeply for a while. “I can’t say.”

_“Then I’ll have to go to Plan B.”_

“Plan B?” Luke wondered if Chewie really was going to drag him back by his beard.

 _“I’ve got a message from Leia. Access the Force and sense Rey_.”

“What kind of message is…wait a minute. How the kriff did _you_ know I wasn’t accessing the Force?”

Chewbacca rolled his eyes. _“Wasn’t it obvious? You didn’t know Han was dead. You were surprised to see me, even though you should have sensed me in the Falcon before it landed. And how you treated Rey_.”

Luke slapped the pallet in frustration. “Just who is this _Rey_ …oh. You mean the girl who came with you?”

“ _More like, I came with her_.”

“Now you’re talking in riddles? Give me a straight answer!”

“ _Nope. You wouldn’t give me a straight answer before. But access the Force and sense Rey, and it’ll all become clear_. _”_

Luke threw his blanket aside. “Damn it, Chewie, stop the small talk and give me some answers! How did you find me? Why are you here? And just who is _Rey_ and why do I need to sense her?”

Chewie was unperturbed. “ _Access the Force and sense Rey_.”

“Fine, fine! I’ll humor you!” For the first time in seven years, Luke accessed the Force. It flowed into him, and for a while, he panicked, thinking that Kylo Ren would find him immediately. But the panic was soon swept away in the glory of sensing the Force again. It was like drinking water after years of being thirsty. He felt the afternoon suns' light and warmth, the sturdiness of the dirt under him, down to the very bedrock of the planet. He felt the grass sprouting and growing and dying, the insects crawling and flying, the porgs twittering and hopping, the Caretakers patiently tending the ancient ruins. There was also a Force presence strong as his father’s or his nephew’s, like a laser among candles, or a sun among fainter stars.

Emanating from the strange girl. From Rey.

He sucked in his breath. He felt his heart pounding in shock and a little fear. Rey’s Force presence blazed out somewhere on the island, pure and clear, with no darkness to mar it, none of the shadowy taint that had eventually overcome Ben’s Force signature. Unbidden, a memory of Obi-Wan’s came to him:

 _“The readings are off the chart. Over 20,000. Even Master Yoda doesn’t have a midi-chlorian count that high_. _”_

_“No Jedi has.”_

He began to feel somewhat dizzy. He covered his eyes, as if Rey’s Force presence were an actual light, blinding him. _Strong as Ben—Kylo. Strong as my father. But I never found her, never taught her, never met her. How do I not know her_? _How did I not find her before?_ _Who is she_? What _is she_?

 _“You see now?”_ growled Chewie, a little smugly.

“Yes,” Luke said. “But who is she?”

“ _You’ll have to ask her that yourself. She’s waiting_.” With that, Chewie walked out of the hut without looking back.

Luke sat for a while. If Leia wanted him to teach this girl, she would be disappointed. Luke would never teach another Padawan. But still…a Force presence so strong, untainted by darkness! It was tempting…so tempting…

Luke shuddered. _Remember what happened last time you gave in to temptation_.

_The darkness…_

_One stab…_

_And Ben woke up…_

No, he would never train another Padawan. He’d proven himself a failure as a Jedi Master that night. Anyway, Rey and her Force presence might be a trap. He had to be sure. But there was no way to be sure without talking to her.

Luke got to his feet and straightened his wrinkled robes. He left the hut, letting the Force guide him for the first time in seven years.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This author does not endorse Chewie's methods for dealing with a severely traumatized person.


	3. The Child of Jakku

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which Luke finds out a little about Rey's past, argues with her, and feeds her one of the first decent meals of her life.

It was early afternoon. The suns dazzled Luke’s eyes at first, so he closed his eyes and searched for Rey by her Force presence. She was up at the top of the stairs again, standing on the edge of a cliff. Luke began to climb, marveling at how the Force let him feel the cool, slippery stones and the grass even through his boots. The chattering of the porgs was louder than ever, but instead of being annoying, it was sweet. There seemed to be music in it, as well as in the suns’ warmth, the wind blowing through the grass, and the lapping of the ocean against the island. He almost threw himself down on the grass, laughing with the joy of being part of the universe again. Control and his memories prevented him, and he reached the top of the stairs.

Rey stood leaning on her staff, gazing out over the ocean. The wind pulled strands of her hair loose and blew it around her face. Seen from a distance, against the sky, she looked smaller than before, more tired, and more fragile somehow. He slowly walked up to her, noticing that she was leaning heavily on the staff and that her eyes were closed. Really exhausted, no doubt. He sensed it through the Force, but he also felt amazement mixed with her tiredness. Amazement at the ocean, the wet spray, and—how could he bear it?— _him_.

“I’ve never seen so much water in my life,” she said softly, still gazing out to sea.

For a moment, Luke saw the ocean as she saw it: endless rolling dunes of water. He remembered how he’d felt the first time he saw an ocean, how Han and Leia had teased him about it, and how he’d laughed at himself too. He _had_ laughed once, hadn’t he? It seemed like a hundred years ago.  A chilly wind blew off the water; he shivered and pulled his cloak more tightly around him.

He licked his lips, tasting the salt spray on them. “Let’s sit down here for a minute; I want to talk to you.”

Rey laid down her staff and sat cross-legged, facing him. She looked at him expectantly.

Luke sat down and began his questions. “Your name is Rey, then?”

“Yes.”

“And what else?”

“What?” She looked puzzled.

“Rey what? What’s your last name?”

“I don’t have a last name. Some people used to call me ‘Little Rey,’ but that’s it.”

Luke felt like he’d butted his head against a wall. “Where did you come from?”

“Nowhere.”

“No one’s from _nowhere_ ,” Luke said impatiently. Was everybody going to talk to him in riddles today?

Rey looked down at the ground. “Jakku,” she said in a small voice. 

“All right, that pretty much _is_ nowhere.” Luke had never been to Jakku in his life, but he remembered all he’d heard of it. He was sorry for what he’d said when he sensed the shame and sadness in the girl. “Which makes it all the more amazing you got away from it,” he added.

At that, Rey’s shame vanished, and she looked at Luke in surprise. “Amazing?” she repeated. Her shame had been replaced by shock, disbelief and the tiniest, most pathetic hint of hope that Luke had ever sensed. Hope that must have been crushed too many times to count.

Luke smiled stiffly, hoping it was reassuring. “Sure, it was amazing. You were brave enough and strong enough to leave Jakku and change your life. Not many people can do that.”

“Like you did?” Rey asked, looking at him with that painful reverence. The hope Luke sensed from her was already a little stronger.

But Luke couldn’t feed it anymore. He ruthlessly pushed the memories away as he asked, “So how _did_ you leave Jakku, Rey? How did you find the Resistance?”

Rey told him her story. As he listened, Luke felt a chill that had nothing to do with the wind. A strong Force user on a remote desert planet, a Stormtrooper defecting from the First Order, and a droid with a piece of the map leading to him. He remembered his own youth, the similarities between him and this girl, and he felt helpless, a sense of being drawn into something beyond his control.

He hid his feelings as he asked, “Then you never left Jakku before that?”

“No.”

“Who were your parents? Your family?”

“I don’t know.”

An orphan, as he’d expected. Before he could ask another question, Rey said, “I had parents once. At least I remember, if it’s not a dream, running after their ship as it took off. I was crying for my mother, and Plutt yelled at me to be quiet…”

“Who’s Plutt?” Luke interrupted.

“The junk boss. My…” Rey paused and grimaced. “…my master.”

Luke felt a rising horror. “You were a slave?”

Rey looked at the ground. Shame radiated from her Force signature as she answered, “I was a scavenger. I brought Plutt junk, and he gave me money for food.”

Little better than a slave, then. Pity stirred in him, as he remembered his own father’s past on Tatooine. But Rey, as a girl and an orphan with no real caretakers, may have led an even crueler life. He felt sick at the implications.

When he was a Jedi Master, he had tried his best to comfort his students, especially those with troubled pasts. He’d held the younger ones in his arms (at least the ones who wanted to be touched) and soothed them with gentle words and promises of hope. But this girl was older than those students, and he hadn’t even felt hope for years. “It’s all right. You’re safe now. You’ve escaped. You’re free.” He almost cringed; his words sounded pathetically inadequate. Obviously, he was out of practice at comforting Padawans. He changed his tack: “How old are you?”

“Nineteen, I think.” Rey stared out to sea and frowned. “I don’t know when I was born, exactly. But Plutt said I was five when I was left on Jakku, and I’ve counted the years, at least when I can keep track of them.”

 _No last name, no family. Not even sure of her age. But such a Force presence._ Luke thought of his students’ families, how he’d delivered the news of his Padawans’ deaths in person, offered what condolences he could, and watched the family members grieve. Had any of those families ever been to Jakku? Had they spoken of lost children or other relatives? He couldn’t remember.

He took a deep breath. His voice cracked as he tried to speak gently, as he’d once spoken to his students. “I asked you all this so I could help you. I sensed your power in the Force, and from what you’ve told me…well, you’re probably related to a powerful Force user.”

Rey gazed at him. The expression of hope in her eyes made Luke hate himself even more. “So how are you going to help us?”

“I—” _Kylo woke up_. _Han died for nothing._ “I’m…not sure yet. But I’m warning you: don’t expect much.”

Rey’s face instantly clouded. “What do you mean, ‘don’t expect much’?”

“I mean, we’d have to go to different planets to get information about your family, and even then, who knows if we’d even find it?”

“You mean you don’t know?” Rey’s voice had risen. “You didn’t know who I was when you saw me?”

“No.”

“But…the Force! When I touched your lightsaber, I had a vision of this place!”

“That doesn’t mean we’re connected. Force visions don’t always mean what you think they mean.” _Biggest understatement in the Galaxy_. But he wasn’t about to go into his father’s and his own Force visions and the complications and tragedies they’d caused. From the anger and disappointment that he sensed from Rey, she probably wouldn’t listen anyway.

“And what did you mean, different planets?” she said. “You’re coming with us, aren’t you? Back to the Resistance?”

“No, I’m not.” It was harder to say it to Rey than to Chewie.

“But we need you! Now that the Republic is destroyed, there’s nothing to stop the First Order...”

“I know!” Luke’s voice was angrier than he’d intended. _Luke Skywalker is skulking here like a coward_. “Do you think I don’t know my friends are suffering? Or that I came to the most unfindable place in the galaxy for no reason at all?”

“Then why _did_ you come here?” Rey demanded. “You owe us an explanation at least. You owe _Leia_ an explanation.”

 _I didn’t tell Chewie or Leia; I’m not telling you_ , Luke almost said. “Rey, I _will_ help you. I will help you find your family, and I…”

“I didn’t _come_ here to find my family!” Rey jumped to her feet. “I came here for _you_! _You’re_ the only Jedi left in the Galaxy! _You’re_ the only hope we have of defeating the First Order!”

 _Help me, Obi-Wan Kenobi. You’re my only hope_. Luke shuddered and closed his eyes. It took him a few minutes to calm down again. “That’s over now, Rey. The time of the Jedi is over. Kylo Ren proved it that night he killed my students.” His voice faltered.

Rey stood glaring down at him, her lips parted, her fists clenched, breathing hard. Her anger showed clearly in her face and body language, but the hurt and disappointment she felt could only be sensed through the Force. Luke went on, “From what you’ve told me and your skill with the Force, you must be related to one of them…my students. I want to help you find your family, partly because it’s the last thing I can do in their memory. It’s the only way I can make some amends for what happened. It’s the only thing I’m still fit for.”

“That’s not true,” Rey said, quietly but fiercely. “You were a hero, you saved…”

“I told you that was all over,” Luke said harshly, standing up in his turn. Why couldn’t she see? “That was thirty years ago. Times have changed, I’ve gotten old, it’s time for the past to die…”

“If Leia believed that, there wouldn’t even be a Resistance,” Rey said bitterly.

Luke cringed as if struck. _Skulking like a coward. Soft and lazy._ “That was a low blow.”

“Oh, _I’m_ sorry.” Rey raised her eyebrows. “I can’t believe I forgot my manners, considering we’re _fighting a war_ …”

“And sarcasm won’t work on me. I got enough of it from my teacher,” Luke interrupted.

“Did your teacher also abandon the Galaxy when they needed him most?”

Luke winced again but kept his voice steady. “I’m not your teacher, and the Galaxy doesn’t need me.”

“Yes, _we do_.”

Luke sighed in exasperation and turned away. “I’m not going to stand here arguing with you. I’m off to check the fish traps. My mind is made up: either I take you off Ach-To to find your family, or I stay here. The choice is yours.”

“And either you come back with me to the Resistance, or Chewie and I stay here until you do. The choice is _yours_.”

Luke looked back at her. “You’ll be here a long time, then.”

“Oh, I don’t mind that. I’m really patient.”

“I was a Jedi Master. I can outlast any non-trained Force user in patience.” Luke started towards the stairs.

“Well, I’m used to enduring and waiting for change. I grew up on Jakku!” Rey called after him.

“And I grew up on Tatooine!” Luke called back, before turning his back to her and beginning to climb down.

* * *

Luke cut himself off from the Force again. He checked the fish traps in the inlet and milked the thala-sirens as he’d done for years, ignoring the physical strain. It was punishment, and he knew it was. He didn’t care; he deserved every bit of it. He _was_ a coward, as Chewie had said. He _had_ abandoned the Galaxy, even if it was for the right reasons. One mistake had led him farther downwards to the Dark Side. But hadn’t it always been the case? For his father, for Kylo, and now for him?

As evening fell, he gathered up his catch of the day and returned to his hut to find Rey and Chewie sitting cross-legged outside of it. He scowled: they were starting to annoy him, and he had a sudden, petty desire to annoy them right back. He gave them a bright, false grin and held up the fish. “Join me for dinner?”

" _Stop toying with us, Luke! You know what we’re waiting for!”_ growled Chewie.

“I…are you sure? Can you spare it?” asked Rey. Her stomach growled, and she flushed.

Half-surprised, half-ashamed, Luke said, “Of course I can spare it; I’ve got plenty. Come in, Rey. You too, Chewie.”

“ _I’ll just eat a ration pack in the_ Falcon, _but thanks anyway_ ,” Chewie huffed. He strode off towards the ship, while Rey followed Luke into the hut.

Once inside, she wrinkled her nose at the pungent smell. Luke’s face heated up as he laid the fish down near the brazier. He hurriedly grabbed a rag, dipped it in the water basin, and scrubbed up the mess. “Sorry; I didn’t get a chance to clean up.” He flung the rag outside and lit a fire in the brazier. He looked over his shoulder and noticed Rey still standing, with a concerned look on her face. “I’m all right. I was sick yesterday, but I’m fine now.” Luke watched Rey, who still didn’t move or speak. “Well, sit down. You’re eating with me, aren’t you?”

She did slowly, in total silence. She didn’t say a word while Luke went outside to clean and gut the fish, and when he finished and came back in, she was still sitting in the same position, gazing into the fire.

“If you want, you can take a nap while I cook,” Luke suggested, cutting his catch into pieces. “Dinner won’t be ready for another ten minutes.”

“No thanks. I’m not tired.” She yawned.

Luke hid a smile. “Suit yourself.” He stuck the pieces of fish onto a spit and laid it down over the fire, glancing back at Rey every now and then. She didn’t move or speak, but when the smell of roasting fish began to fill the hut, she looked at the brazier eagerly.

When the fish was ready, Luke pulled half the pieces off the spit and piled them on his plate, which he handed to Rey. She picked up a piece, gasped, and dropped it.

“Wait for it to cool first,” Luke said.

“I know. Just because I was a scavenger doesn’t mean I’m stupid,” Rey snapped, turning red.

“I didn’t mean…” Luke began, then stopped. What was the point? He watched her pick up another piece of fish and nibble at it. Her eyes widened, and she took a larger bite, then another. She crammed the rest of the piece in her mouth and grabbed another piece, which she bit into as soon as she’d swallowed a little of the first. She tucked away her meal as if she were afraid he’d take it away from her.

“Thish ish sho good,” she said with her mouth full. “Shank you sho mush.”

“You’re welcome,” Luke said, bemused. “It’s only fish.”

Rey swallowed this time before she spoke. “I never ate anything but ration packs until I left Jakku.”

“Really? Nothing?” Luke asked, before he could stop himself. But Rey seemed too busy eating to be embarrassed. He looked down at his own portion of fish, then at Rey, who’d already cleaned her plate and was licking her fingers. He put his portion on the plate. “Here, have this.”

Rey frowned. “Are you just doing this out of pity, Master Skywalker? I don’t need your pity.”

“It’s not pity,” Luke lied. “I’m not hungry; I’m still a little queasy. Take it.”

Rey stared at the plate of fish, her pride probably warring with her hunger. Eventually, hunger must have won, as she seized the plate and ate this portion of fish as ravenously as the first. This time, Luke didn’t bother hiding his smile as he watched her.

When she’d finished, Luke washed the plate in the basin. “I’ll just go get some wash water for the morning, and then I’ll make up the bed for you.”

“I can sleep on the floor.”

“You’re my guest.”

“I _told_ you: I don’t need your pity.”

“It’s not pity.” Luke pinched the bridge of his nose. “I won’t be sleeping tonight; I want to get a look at the _Falcon_ anyway.”

“But you just said you were sick.”

Luke felt a headache developing. “Well, I’m starting to feel better now. But if I feel bad again, I’ll just lie down on the ship.” He glanced at Rey, who was still looking suspicious, and sighed. “It’s not pity. I want to visit the _Falcon_ , and I need some time alone to think. That’s all.”

Rey slowly nodded. Luke grabbed the basin of dirty water and went outside, where he flung the water onto the grass with more force than necessary. He hadn’t known it was possible to be this annoyed with someone you felt sorry for.

* * *

Luke waited until Rey was asleep before leaving the hut. It was dark now, but Luke could see the _Falcon_ sitting at the foot of the island. He walked slowly down the stairs, his heart beating faster as he got closer. The ship was almost the same as he remembered, except a little rustier, a little more battered. He reached out a tentative hand and touched the cool metal hull. It felt the same as he remembered. He half-expected the ship to come to life under his touch, or Han to leap out of the cockpit, young and brash as he was when Luke first met him. _Oh, Force, Han…I’m sorry_.

Luke forced himself to go inside. Chewie was lying in the back, snoring loudly enough to almost shake the ship. Luke stepped over the sleeping Wookie and moved into the cockpit. He stood behind Han’s chair—or was it Chewie’s chair now? Or even Rey’s?—and looked around. There was the pair of dice hanging from the ceiling, there was the dejarik table where Threepio had suggested that Artoo let Chewie win, there were even the helmet and blast shield which Obi-Wan had used to train him. There it all was, looking the same as it had years ago. Even the smell was the same: fuel, coolant, and burning circuitry.

But the living things were all gone. Luke sat down at the gaming table and put his head in his hands. The _Falcon_ seemed more desolate than the Ach-To ruins.

Suddenly, Luke heard familiar beeps. His heart leaped. “Artoo?”

R2-D2 rolled into the cockpit, whistling and chirping. Artoo looked almost the same as before too, if a little older and shabbier. But his language was another story. It had grown coarser, harsher, almost abusive. Luke sat still, feeling half-amused and half-ashamed as the little astromech droid berated him. “Yes…no, I—yeah, it’s true.”

And then Artoo squawked something so profane that Luke exclaimed, “Hey, sacred island! Watch the language!”

Artoo didn’t apologize, but he whined, pleading with Luke to return. Luke shook his head. “Old friend, I wish I could make you understand. I’m not coming back. Nothing can change my mind.”

He rested a hand on Artoo’s dome. The droid’s holographic projector activated, and Luke saw the image of Leia from so long ago, dressed in white, pleading for Obi-Wan’s help.

 _Help me, Obi-Wan Kenobi. You’re my only hope_.

Shame and guilt stirred in Luke. “That’s a cheap move,” he said to Artoo, who only let out a smug beep in response. The holograph of Leia vanished, and Artoo went quiet. But the holographic voice echoed in Luke’s head. _Help me, Obi-Wan Kenobi. You’re my only hope. You’re my only hope. Only hope._

Luke rose, left the _Falcon_ , and trudged back up the stairs. Leia’s voice remained in his head and was joined by Chewie’s and Rey’s voices now. _Skulking here like a coward_. _I came here for you_. _You’re the only hope we have_. As Luke lay down on the floor in another hut and began to drift off to sleep, the voices faded in and out, chasing each other, mixing up words, until sometimes it was Rey pleading for Luke’s help in a hologram, and sometimes Chewie was calling Obi-Wan Kenobi a coward, and sometimes Leia had come for him and sometimes for Obi-Wan.

_Help us, Luke Skywalker, you coward. You’re our only hope._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Muc of the dialogue in this chapter taken from "The Last Jedi" and its novelization by Jason Fry.
> 
> Because I just got a new, time-consuming job, I won't be posting regular, weekly updates anymore. From now on, chapter posting will be more sporadic.


	4. The Links

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which the First Order links itself to the Resistance, and Kylo Ren links himself to Rey. Poe is frustrated, Leia has a secret plan, and Luke, Rey, and Chewie leave Ach-To at last.

Poe stood on the bridge with the senior officers. The General had commanded him to be there. Hopefully she would be sending him out to fight, no matter what she’d said to him after the ambush.

 _You won’t help us by jumping in an X-wing and getting yourself blown up._ And then she’d ordered him to see the ship’s psychologist, Dr. Tol-Linn. But she hadn’t removed him from duty. She still trusted him, which was amazing and showed what a great woman she was. He had to get better quick, so he could live up to her opinion of him and show her he could still fight for her cause.

He gazed around at the senior officers. General Organa was there, with Admiral Ackbar, Lieutenant Connix, and a purple-haired woman in a gray robe he didn’t know. Their faces were all grim and hopeless.

“What’s this about? What’s happened?” Poe asked.

“The First Order has been tracking us through hyperspace,” General Organa said flatly.

Poe’s stomach seemed to drop. “That’s impossible.”

“Yes, it is. And they’ve been doing it.”

“Oh, _kriff_.” Poe wanted to hit himself. What had he done? “General, I’m sorry. Back when I led the attack…I had no idea…”

“Stop it,” said the General.

“I didn’t know…if I had, I wouldn’t have…”

“ _Stop it._ ”

Poe fell silent at the harshness in the General’s tone. She went on, “Of course, you didn’t know. None of us knew, until now. _This was not your fault_.”

 _Kylo Ren torturing you was not your fault_. Poe heard it just as if she’d spoken it aloud. He took a few deep breaths and shut his eyes, so he wouldn’t have to see the other officers’ expressions. “Permission to jump in an X-wing and get myself blown up, General?”

“No,” General Organa said sternly.

“But you said…” Poe opened his eyes, saw the purple-haired woman looking at him with pity, and faltered.

“Don’t worry; I’m not removing you from duty,” the General said, giving him a tense smile. “I meant we have one more trick up our sleeves before we come to that.”

“We do? What is it?”

“That is between me and Vice Admiral Holdo, Commander,” she said, indicating the purple-haired woman next to her.

“Vice Admiral Holdo?” Poe repeated in disbelief. _That’s Admiral Holdo? Battle of Chyron Belt Admiral Holdo_?

“You seem so surprised, Commander,” Vice Admiral Holdo said dryly. “Is it because I’m a woman, or because I’m not a hotshot pilot like you?”

Poe was embarrassed, but it was nothing compared to his embarrassment when General Organa frowned and whispered something in Holdo’s ear. From the Vice Admiral’s answer, Poe had a pretty good idea of what that whisper was about.

“Ah, sorry about that, Commander,” she said, more gently. “No offense. You’ll find, Commander, that my bark is worse than my bite.”

“You didn’t offend me, Admiral,” Poe said crossly.

“Glad to hear it,” Holdo said, turning back to the General. Now Poe saw Ackbar and Connix looking at him with pity, and he wanted to hit one of the consoles in frustration.

He asked as blandly as he could, “Any orders for me, General?”

“Stand by for further instructions,” the General said. “And keep seeing Dr. Tol-Linn weekly.”

Poe nodded. “Yes, General.” He saluted and walked off the bridge as fast as he could, but not before he heard Holdo say reproachfully, “Now, why didn’t you tell me he’d been tortured, Leia? I wouldn’t have been snarky with him…”

Poe wanted to sink to the floor in humiliation. Was _everybody_ in the Resistance going to know he’d been tortured by Kylo Ren? Were all his commanding officers going to start treating him like he was made of glass? He was fine, for the Force’s sake! He was still fit for duty, and his sessions with Dr. Tol-Linn were already starting to cure him.

“Are you okay?” Poe nearly jumped, then sighed with relief. It was just Finn, who must have been waiting in the hall. He walked more slowly, while Finn moved in to walk beside him.

“What’s going on?” Finn asked.

“Nothing. We’ve just found out Snoke can track us through hyperspace, but other than that, everything’s fine.”

 _“What_? So, if we jump to lightspeed, they’ll just find us again, and we’ll be out of fuel! We’re trapped; they’ve got us!”

Finn sounded terrified, but Poe didn’t bother reassuring him. “Yep. And even better, I’m not allowed to do anything but 'stand by for further instructions'. And keep seeing the psychologist. ‘Cause if anything will get the First Order off our tail, it’s psychology sessions.”

“Well, Kylo Ren did capture you, and…”

“Not you too!” Poe said, throwing up his hands. He stood still and crossed his arms, glaring at Finn. “I’m doing fine! Quit treating me like a kid!” His voice was harsh; Finn looked surprised and hurt. Ashamed, he added, “But I appreciate your worrying. You’re the best friend a guy could have, Finn.”

Finn nodded slowly, but he still seemed downcast. “Hey,” Poe said softly, putting a hand on his shoulder. “I didn’t mean to snap. I’m not mad at you; it’s the stress.”

“I know that,” said Finn. “I was thinking about Rey.”

“About Rey?” Poe repeated, feeling strangely disappointed.

Finn nodded. “The General hasn’t told us her plans, or where we’re going. How’s Rey going to be able to find us again?”

“What the General said before. She’s got the cloaked binary beacon.”

“But what if she comes back during a First Order attack?”

Poe hadn’t thought of that. A new anxiety filled in his mind. He tried to speak reassuringly: “The General can probably let her know in time before she gets in the middle of a battle. Anyway, she’ll have Luke Skywalker with her, remember? He can probably sense battles through the Force, so he’ll keep her from getting into danger.”

Finn nodded, this time without speaking. Poe sighed and ran his hand through his hair, feeling drained. _Stand by for further instructions_. Well, at least she hadn’t removed him from duty; he wasn’t completely useless yet. If she decided he was…but he didn’t want to think about that. And the First Order tracking them through hyperspace…how had it happened? What trick were they using? The General said she and Holdo had a plan, but how would it work if the First Order was going to ambush them wherever they went?

“Do you want to go to the bar and get a drink?” Finn asked suddenly.

Poe started and smiled at him. “Great idea, buddy. See, I told you drinking helps with the stress.”

“Yeah, but talking to your friends helps more,” Finn said, coloring.

Poe coughed, to hide his embarrassment. “Actually, let’s go back to our quarters. I’ve got _Ship of Love_ on holovid.”

“ _Ship of Love_?” Finn repeated in confusion.

“Oh, right, you wouldn’t have heard of it. But Force, have you missed a great show!” Poe said. He felt almost excited again. Yavin 4 soap operas weren’t popular with the other pilots in the Resistance, so it was great to finally have someone to share it with. “Come on. We can get some drinks and food on the way there. _Ship of Love_ just finished its seventh season, so if you want to get caught up, we need to start watching right away.”

* * *

Rey woke up suddenly. She didn’t know where she was at first, until she saw early morning light through the doorway and window and heard chirping sounds. Then she remembered.

She sat up, and the blanket fell from her shoulders. Sleeping on such a soft surface was still new and odd. It had taken her a while to fall asleep last night, although she felt rested, more than she had in a long time. The air was chilly; Rey shivered and wrapped herself up in the blanket again. She looked around for Luke—and started, gasping in horror.

Kylo Ren was in the hut with her.

Panic and rage seemed to explode through Rey’s mind, but she still managed to pick up her blaster, raise it, and fire. A shot, a flash of light, a smell of smoke, and Kylo Ren was gone without a trace. But there was a hole in the wall, with smoke rising up from it.

Rey’s hand shook, and she lowered the blaster. Her heart thudded so loudly that it drowned out the sounds of the porgs. Had Kylo Ren really been here, or had she imagined him? Or had she still been half-asleep and stuck in a nightmare?

She jumped to her feet and ran outside. The entire island was covered in thick mist; Rey felt the clammy dampness on her skin. The suns hung low in the sky; it was dawn. She looked around for intruders, scanned both the ground and the sky for ships. No one was in sight. She listened but couldn’t hear anything but porg calls and the wind rustling the grass.

Rey’s heartbeat returned to its normal speed, and she relaxed. She turned to go back to the hut—and nearly screamed when she saw Kylo Ren standing in front of her.

“You will bring Luke Skywalker to me,” Ren said, lifting his hand.

For a moment, terror sapped away Rey’s strength and froze her in place. He was going to do it again; he was going to force his way into her mind. The strange rush of sensations, the heightened sensitivity, the surge of power—the Force?—flooded through her. She tried to push him away, but nothing happened. Nothing…Rey frowned; he wasn’t attacking her mind this time. She felt nothing digging into her brain, no sense of violation. He just stood there, looking at her with a faint smile on his face.

“You’re not doing this,” he said in a calm, steady voice. “The effort would kill you.”

At his smug-sounding tone, Rey’s fury blazed up again, pushing aside her fear. How could he just stand there, talking calmly and _smiling_ , after what he’d done? What kind of monster was he?

“Can you see my surroundings?” Ren asked, as calm as before.

“You’re going to pay for what you did,” Rey said fiercely.

Ren acted like he hadn’t heard her. “I can’t see yours,” he mused, “just you. So, no, this is something else.”

“Rey?” Luke’s voice! Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Luke coming out of another hut, and she almost screamed, _Stay back!_ But no, she couldn’t; it would draw Ren’s attention to him.

“Luke?” Ren said. His eyes lit up with a bestial excitement that sickened Rey. He turned his head slowly, a predator sniffing out his prey, and vanished as suddenly as before.

“Rey?” Luke’s voice made her jump. She turned to see him looking at her with a confused frown on his face.

“What’s this about?” he asked gruffly, pointing to the hut.

It took Rey a second to realize he was talking about the hole in the wall. It was still smoking. “I—I shot it,” she stammered.

“Yeah, I can see that,” Luke said, crossing his arms. “I want to know _why_ you shot it.”

“Because…” Rey began, and stopped. She sank onto the ground, her legs weak. She couldn’t stop shaking, no matter how much she tried.

“Because what? What happened?” Luke sat down next to her.

“ _He_ was here.” It was all Rey managed to say, before her voice broke. Tears came to her eyes; she hoped they wouldn’t fall.

“Who was here?” Luke asked. Rey looked at him and couldn’t speak. He frowned and said, “Kylo Ren?”

Rey nodded, as a tear rolled down her cheek. She bit her lip, furious at herself. She’d faced Kylo Ren on Starkiller Base; she’d _beaten_ him in a lightsaber duel. Why was she acting like such a coward now?

Luke suddenly took her hands. “Are you okay?” he asked, more gently than he’d spoken to her so far.

“He forced himself into my mind,” Rey blurted out. A sob escaped before she could stop it. “Back on Starkiller Base. Before he murdered…” She couldn’t go on.

Luke inhaled sharply. He opened his mouth, then shut it. His grip on her hands grew tighter. “And you saw him here? On the island?”

“He was in the hut, watching me,” Rey whispered. “I woke up and he was there.” Her vision was blurred with tears now, and she was trembling so much she was sure Luke could feel it.

“What happened when you shot him?”

“He disappeared. At first, I thought I’d just dreamed it, but then I ran outside to look for him, and I saw him again.” Rey sniffled and said, “You were right. We can’t go back to the Resistance. He’s looking for you; he said so.”

“It’s okay,” Luke said. He squeezed her hands again. “He hasn’t found me yet, and he never will.”

“But he could do it through me,” Rey said, sniffling. “I’ve put you in danger; I shouldn’t have come…I need to wipe my nose.”

Luke let go of her hands, reached into his robe, and pulled out a piece of cloth, which he handed to her. She wiped her eyes and nose on the cloth, watching Luke scratch his beard, frown, and look out at the ocean. Immediately, she felt ashamed and foolish. Maybe he didn’t believe her. Maybe he thought it was just a dream, or that she was going crazy.

“When you saw Kylo Ren the second time, did he disappear like he did the first time?” Luke asked. He sounded skeptical.

It was just what Rey was afraid of. “Yes, but I swear it wasn’t a dream! I was awake, and I really did see him!”

“I believe you,” said Luke in a soothing voice. He took her hands again. “I believe you. I’m just trying to figure out how he did it.”

“Did what?” A new, horrible thought struck her. “Wait…what if he’s still in my mind? What if he’s been in my head, watching me all this time?”

“That’s impossible,” Luke said. “Force users can’t possess other people.”

“Oh.” Rey started to calm down a little.

“But they can manipulate other people, especially if they force themselves into people’s minds,” Luke said, looking disgusted. “I shouldn’t be surprised Kylo has sunk that low, but…well.” He looked at her worriedly. “If he attacked your mind before, it means you’ll be more vulnerable if he tries it again.”

“Then I _am_ a danger to you! And the Resistance!”

“No, you’re not,” Luke said fiercely. “You’re not, and you never will be. Kylo Ren is. This is Kylo Ren’s fault, not yours.” He rubbed her hands with his thumbs. “Whatever this is, whatever Kylo Ren and Snoke are planning, we’ll stop them. They’re not going to get to me, or the Resistance…or you.”

Luke sounded so sure of himself that Rey felt herself relaxing. His hands felt strong and warm. She closed her eyes. She wished she and Luke could sit here in silence for a while, feeling the sunlight and listening to the porgs and the sea.

Luke cleared his throat, causing Rey to open her eyes. “One thing’s for sure: we can’t stay here. Kylo will try to access your mind again, and if he learns our location, the First Order fleet could be here in only a few days.” He let go of Rey’s hands. “We’ll have to leave.”

“Not back to the Resistance,” Rey said, shivering. “We’ll put them in danger; we can’t…”

“No, not back to the Resistance,” Luke agreed. “We’ll have to go somewhere else for now.”

“Where?”

“Well, first to Coruscant…”

“Coruscant!” Rey wondered if Luke had gone insane.

“The Jedi Archives,” Luke explained. “There’s something we need to check. Afterwards…who knows?”

Rey stood up, brushing off her trousers. “I need to let Leia know first. She’s expecting us.”

“I’ll take care of it,” Luke said quietly. He shook his head when Rey held out her wrist, with the cloaked binary beacon on it. “I won’t need that.”

“Then how…” Rey gasped as the idea came to her. “The Force? You’re going to talk to Leia through the _Force_? All that way?”

“It’s safer in the long run, in case the First Order is monitoring the Resistance’s communication channels.”

“I didn’t know you could do that with the Force! Could I…I mean…”

Luke smiled dryly. “You won’t be learning long-range Force communication for years.” He stood up and put a hand on her shoulder. “Go tell Chewie we’re leaving. I’ll meet you at the _Falcon_ in about five minutes.”

Rey’s mind was spinning. “Was that what Kylo Ren did just now? Talking to me through the Force?”

“If he’d done it the usual way, you wouldn’t have seen him, just heard his voice. No, what he’s doing is something different. I don’t know what it is, but I don’t like it.” Luke turned away. “Go tell Chewie we’re leaving.”

 _What IS Kylo Ren doing_? Rey wanted to ask. But Luke was already walking away. Confused and still reeling from her terror earlier, Rey crept back inside Luke’s hut. She tucked her blaster and Luke’s lightsaber into her belt, slung her quarterstaff over her shoulder. There was nothing else in the Galaxy she owned. All the while, her eyes darted around the small space, half expecting to see Kylo Ren appear out of the shadows. But nothing happened.

Rey let out a breath she didn’t know she’d been holding when she was outside again. By now, the suns were higher in the sky, and most of the mist had burned away. She trotted down the stairs towards the _Falcon_ and Chewie, reluctant to spend more time alone than necessary.

* * *

Leia stood alone in her stateroom on the _Raddus_. The plan had been set in motion. She’d contacted Bespin and Lando Calrissian, who’d promised to find their codebreaker. If everything went well, the _Raddus_ could be free of its link to the First Order. If everything went well.

That was an incredibly big “if”.

Leia paced, trying to calm her breathing. If the _Supremacy_ didn’t catch up with the _Raddus_ first. If Snoke and Hux granted them some time before they began their next attack. If the leverage Lando had said he’d had over the codebreaker would keep him from betraying the Resistance. If, if, if.

And if not, this part of deep space would be the Resistance’s grave.

 _Leia_.

It was barely louder than a whisper in her mind. Her heart leaped, but she sternly repressed her hope. She must have been imagining it. She’d been longing for this and dreaming of it for seven years.

 _Leia_. There was the voice again, her brother’s voice. And she felt a strange tickle, as if a tentative finger were brushing against her mind. This feeling couldn’t be imagined: it was really the Force.

 _Luke? Is it really you?_ she thought.

 _Yes, it’s really me. It’s good to talk to you again, Leia_.

Leia sank onto a chair. Tears filled her eyes, and she felt sobs rising up in her chest. She gripped the armrests as hard as she could, desperately trying to control herself. She couldn’t break down, not now. If she did, it would be like the terrible night when Ben murdered Luke’s students and tore their family apart, or the day when Han died. Both times, when she was alone, she’d wept so long she thought she would never stop, until she thought she would go insane with grief.

 _Leia_? The thought was more hesitant this time.

 _It’s been so long_. The thought was inadequate and was thrown in to gain time. She had to keep his voice in her head. She couldn’t lose him again now.

 _Too long_. _I stayed away for far too long_.

 _I’m glad you’ve come back_ , Leia thought. She focused all her thoughts on the Force, searching for the calm deep inside herself. She’d never become a Jedi, but she knew their meditation techniques. Luke had taught them to her, long ago. _Are Rey and Chewie with you?_

 _Yes, they’re here. But there’s been a change of plans. We can’t come to you yet. Kylo Ren’s set up a Force link to Rey somehow_.

_A Force link? How? What is it?_

_We don’t know. I just learned about it today. But you’d better not expect us for a while._

Leia grimaced. _Something similar is going on here. The First Order can track us through hyperspace now._

_That’s impossible._

_So I’ve heard. There might be a way out, but until then, we’ll be taking the scenic route to our new base._

_Where is it?_

_Burnin Konn_.

For a while, there was silence in Leia’s mind. Then she heard Luke’s thought: _Then things are really that desperate?_

 _Yes._

_I really have been away for too long._ There was a strange bleakness in Luke’s thought. _I won’t be able to turn the tide of this war by myself, Leia. You know that._

 _You did thirty years ago_.

There was another hesitation. _Not by myself. And our father was different from…_

His voice trailed off. Leia wondered if he’d broken the connection, but his voice came back: _We’re leaving soon. I only wanted to tell you our plans._

 _Thank you._ Leia hesitated. There were a thousand thoughts she wanted to communicate, but she could only put one into words. _We’ll talk again, hopefully before too long. I’ll let you know when we’ve given Snoke the slip_.

 _And we’ll meet you on Burnin Konn_.

 _May the Force be with you, Luke_.

There were a few seconds of silence, before Luke’s parting thought reached her: _And with you_.

* * *

Rey and Chewie waited by the _Falcon_. The five minutes became ten, then fifteen, then twenty. The morning sunlight shone warmly on Rey’s skin, so soft and gentle, so different from the scorching sun of Jakku. It seemed to be bothering Chewie, though, judging from how he fidgeted and ran his fingers through his fur.

“ _What’s taking him so long?”_ Chewie snarled. _“What’s he up to this time?”_

 _“You don’t think he’s changed his mind, do you?”_ Rey asked.

 _“The Luke I knew thirty years ago wouldn’t have, at least not without telling us. This Luke…”_ Chewie shrugged and gave Rey a helpless look. _“I don’t know.”_

Exasperated but determined, Rey squared her shoulders as she made her decision. _“I’m going to find him. If I’m not back by the end of the day, you’ll know he’s not coming_. _”_

She was about to start climbing the stairs again, when she caught a glimpse of something on the beach, around the cliff. She slowly made her way to the spot. The tide was high: waves washed up on shore and soaked her boots. The rocks and pebbles were slippery, and she had to step carefully to keep herself from falling. The smell of the ocean was stronger here, almost unpleasant. But she continued on, until she saw bubbles in the water ahead, and Luke standing on a rock with his hand raised. She stopped and watched.

The bubbles increased, and there was a sucking sound, like a plug being pulled out of a socket. To Rey’s astonishment, the X-wing she’d seen a day ago rose up out of the sea, like an underwater monster. She felt the Force rushing through Luke and knew he was bringing the ship up through the Force alone. Water ran in rivulets off the corroded wreck. She felt her eyes widening as Luke, stepping back from the water’s edge, gently guided the X-wing onto the shore, until it was resting on the rocks.

“Size matters not,” Luke murmured, “but salt water and time do.” He looked briefly over his shoulder. “Sorry I’ve been taking so long. I flew here in this X-wing seven years ago. I could barely take care of myself at the time, let alone my ship.” He walked up to the ship and traced its remaining wing, shaking his head mournfully. “Still no excuse for letting her rot, I know.”

“We could repair her,” Rey suggested, even though she knew it was hopeless.

“No, we couldn’t. There’s nothing intact but some wiring and conduits, maybe. Let Ach-To be her final resting place.” Luke shut his eyes for a moment. “Like I thought it would be mine, before you showed up.”

He didn’t sound bitter or sarcastic, but calm. Rey studied him more carefully. She saw that his shoulders were slumped, and his head was bowed. He turned his head and looked at her steadily. Rey grew uncomfortable as his blue eyes rested on her.

“You’re still coming with us?” she asked.

“I’m still coming with you,” Luke said, as calmly as before.

Rey held out his lightsaber to him again. He shook his head. “Keep it. You cared about it enough to rescue it, so it’s yours now.” He smiled at Rey for the first time; she was startled at how the years seemed to drop from his face. “Lead on, my young Padawan."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Most of the dialogue in this chapter taken from "The Last Jedi" and its novelization by Jason Fry.
> 
> I actually got the idea of Leia getting Poe therapy from a rewrite of "The Last Jedi" by saltylikecrait, who brought up an important point that I'd missed: Leia was slapping a torture victim in TLJ. Considering how close Poe is to her and how she knew he'd been tortured, her treatment of him in the movie was both OOC and cruel.
> 
> Burnin Konn is a planet in the Anoat sector, the same sector where Bespin is located. According to Wookiepedia, it was the home of "the Smuggler," who founded the Uprising, which destroyed Adelhard's Imperial Remnant in 5 ABY.


	5. Coming Home

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which Rey sets foot on a city planet for the first time in her life, the First Order has plans regarding Coruscant, and Luke visits the Jedi Archives for the first time in seven years.

It was lucky Luke and Chewie were piloting the _Falcon_ , when they broke through the atmosphere of Coruscant and began to fly through the city. The chaos of the planet threw Rey into shock: the noise, the tall buildings, the ships zooming past them. She sat stiffly in back of the ship, her eyes wide, her heart pounding. She cringed and closed her eyes every time they drew near a building or another vehicle; she was sure they were going to crash. But Luke steered the ship with as much ease and confidence as if he’d flown on Coruscant for years, and Chewie looked just as comfortable.

 How did they do it? It must have been the Force, but the Force wasn’t helping Rey now. She gazed outside numbly as they passed building after building after building…how many buildings did a city need? And their height; how could such buildings be so tall without reaching up through the atmosphere? The whole landscape was unnatural, like something out of a bizarre dream. The nearest buildings looked like boxes or hills or tree trunks, grown to gigantic proportions, stretched out of shape. Those far off seemed like giant knives or needles pointing into the sky. _Waiting to stab us_. Rey shuddered, closed her eyes for what seemed like the hundredth time, and kept them closed. At least if they crashed, she wouldn’t have to see it coming.

The movements of the _Falcon_ grew more violent. Her stomach lurched as they dived down; they might have been in freefall. She braced herself for an impact, but then they were moving forward again, more slowly than before. She heard Luke’s voice: “We’re almost there.”

Rey opened her eyes. They were lower now, below the tops of the buildings, and it was darker. For a moment Rey thought night was falling, but then she realized: it was the buildings themselves that were causing the darkness, blotting out the sun. There were more artificial lights here, and she could see people now, crowds and crowds of people of every species. They were walking on raised platforms or flying in unroofed vehicles.

Luke turned around to face her. “We’ll be landing soon. There’s a pair of stormtroopers up ahead we have to get past.”

“They’ve found us already?” Rey asked fearfully.

“Hopefully not. Hopefully this is just a routine check before they let us into the city.” Luke scowled. “I hoped the First Order would leave Coruscant alone for a while, but…anyway, I’ll take care of everything. If anyone asks our names, I’m Corran Horn; you’re my niece from Tatooine, Tahiri Veila; and Chewie is Greybok.”

Rey didn’t say anything while Luke carefully maneuvered the _Falcon_ onto a landing pad. She could see the stormtroopers now, in their white armor. She looked away from them at a giant screen on the side of a building, which was flashing brightly-colored messages in large letters. She was a poor reader, despite Katbev giving her a few lessons back on Jakku, but she could read a little of what was being shown on the screen.

 _Welcome home_ , [ _something_ ]!

 _This year_ , _the_ [ _something_ ] _is coming home_!

Who or what was coming home? The First Order? Was that why there were stormtroopers on Coruscant?

“Come on,” said Luke, standing up and stretching. “They want us off the ship.”

Rey remembered Kylo Ren standing before her, remembered his words: _You will bring Luke Skywalker to me_. She couldn’t move.

Luke came over to her and took her hands again. “Hey,” he said softly, “it’s going to be all right. I promise.”

Rey licked her dry lips. “Kylo Ren…” she croaked.

“Kylo Ren doesn’t know we’re here; I’m sure of that,” Luke said. “If he did, he’d swoop in to capture us himself. He wouldn’t just send a couple of stormtroopers after us. Trust me.”

What Luke was saying did make sense. Rey tried to summon her courage, taking deep breaths. She suddenly felt Luke link arms with her. It was surprising, but pleasant. She hadn’t expected physical closeness so far away from Finn and her other friends.

Luke said softly, “I know you’re nervous, and I know the city’s a lot to take in at once. Believe me: I was just like you when I visited Coruscant for the first time.” He touched her free hand with his. “We’ll walk off the ship together. Just one step at a time. How about it?”

All Rey could do was nod. Maybe it would be better. Luke’s closeness was comforting.

Arm in arm, Luke and Rey stepped out of the _Falcon_ , followed by Chewie. The blast of noise in Rey’s ears stunned her all over again. The roar of the vehicles zooming past the platform seemed to shake the ground and vibrate throughout her entire body. There was loud music coming from somewhere. The colored lights flashed and changed on the signs, blinding her. Her head throbbed; she thought she might collapse or throw up where she stood.

“It’s all right,” Luke whispered, drawing more closely to her. “We just walk forward, one step at a time. Just let me do the talking; it’ll be over in a minute. One step at a time.”

One step at a time, they moved towards the stormtroopers. Rey stared numbly at their white plastoid helmets and black lenses, which seemed to loom large in her vision.

“Hurry up, you two!” said a loud, metallic voice. Rey realized it was coming from one of the stormtroopers. “There’s a line of vehicles 100 meters long waiting to land!”

“Sorry about that!” Luke shouted, over the music and the noise of the traffic. “It’s my niece from Tatooine! This is her first time on Coruscant; she’s not used to it!”

“Shy, is she?! Well, she’ll learn: there’s no use for shyness here!” The stormtrooper stared at a tablet and tapped the screen. “Here for the Convention?!”

“That’s right!” Luke yelled, not missing a beat.

“Your IDs!” The stormtrooper held out his hand.

 _Oh, Force!_ Rey felt weak in the knees. _How could Luke have forgotten_?

But Luke had raised his hand and waved it in front of the stormtroopers’ faces. “You don’t need to see our IDs!”

“We don’t need to see your IDs!” the stormtrooper repeated.

“We can go about our business!” Luke said, waving his hand again.

“You can go about your business!” the stormtrooper repeated.

“Get back in your ship and go!” Luke said.

“Get back in your ship and go!”

Luke guided Rey back into the _Falcon_. Chewie followed them. Rey was no longer thinking about the noise or the stormtroopers; she was remembering her time on Starkiller Base.

 _You will remove these restraints and leave the cell with the door open_.

“See? Told you I’d handle everything,” said Luke, giving Rey a pat on the shoulder, before releasing her arm. He got back in the pilot’s seat. “The Jedi mind trick, it’s called. The very first time I saw my old teacher using the Force.” He barked a laugh. “History just repeated itself out there.”

“The Jedi mind trick,” Rey repeated slowly. “So that’s what I did on Starkiller Base.”

Luke spun around in the pilot’s chair. His eyes were wide, his mouth slightly open. “You… _you_ used the Jedi mind trick?” he whispered.

“I…think?” Rey was confused. Luke seemed shocked, but why? “I escaped by telling a guard to let me out, and he did. I don’t know how it happened.” She grew uneasy as Luke continued to stare at her, looking aghast. “What? Did I do something wrong?”

“N-no. You did something right,” Luke stammered. Rey grew more confused and nervous. If she’d done something right, why was Luke behaving so strangely?

Chewie laughed. “ _Looks like you’ll have to impress her some other way!_ ”

“Shush, Chewie,” Luke said, not taking his eyes off Rey. He shook his head. “You shouldn’t have been able to do that without any training. _Years_ of training. It’s not an instinctive Force ability.” He spun around again in his chair and faced ahead. “We’ll talk about this later.”

He guided the _Falcon_ off the landing platform. They flew past the buildings and vehicles, but Rey barely noticed this time. Why was Luke so upset with her? What did it matter if she’d used the Jedi mind trick without training, if it had saved her life? She started to ask, “But why…” only to be cut off by Luke.

“Later, I said,” he said gruffly, not looking at her. “Wait until we find a place to stay.”

So Rey remained silent, confused and anxious and annoyed, while Luke flew the _Falcon_ further down into the depths of the city. The atmosphere became dark and almost oppressive, despite the colored artificial lights everywhere. Rey could see smaller buildings, looking run-down, and dirty streets. She could see the people more closely here: human, Bith, Ongree, Besalisk, Twi’lek, Crolute, and a host of other species she didn’t recognize. Most of them were dressed in jumpsuits or plain tunics and trousers, but a few humans and Twi’leks wore skimpy costumes which glittered in the light from the signs and streetlights.

“Where are we?” she asked.

“CoCo Town,” Luke answered, “one of the poorest areas of Coruscant.”

“Oh.” Rey stared at the lines of jumpsuit-clad people trudging down the streets. They looked as exhausted as the miners and scavengers on Jakku had. Depression settled over her mind. She looked up from the people and saw another one of those flashing signs: _Welcome home_ , [ _something_ ]! _This year_ , _the_ [ _something_ ] _is coming home_!

“What’s coming home?” she asked without thinking.

“What?” Luke briefly glanced over his shoulder at her.

“On that screen. It said something is coming home, but I can’t read it. And there was a screen on the landing pad that said the same thing.”

“It said, ‘The Republic is coming home.’” Luke was facing forward again, piloting the _Falcon_ down a narrow alleyway.

“The Republic?” Rey repeated, confused. “But Starkiller Base…they destroyed the Republic!”

“They destroyed the Republic loyal to the Resistance,” Luke said. “I’m guessing they’re setting up a new Republic that’s loyal to the First Order, but I’d have to ask Leia to be sure.”

“But…the Supreme Leader. And Kylo Ren. Why would they…?” Rey didn’t know how to ask the question, but Luke seemed to know what she meant.

“I don’t know why they’re setting up a fake Republic. But I’m hoping to find out.”

“ _It’s to pretend everything’s normal, so nobody fights back,”_ growled Chewie. _“And there are people stupid enough to believe them_.”

 _“Nobody can be that stupid,”_ Rey said scornfully. _“It’s impossible.”_

 _“You’d_ _be surprised_. _”_ Chewie turned back to Luke. _“Plastoid Alley. Over to the right_.”

“Thanks, Chewie.” Luke squeezed the ship into a tiny space between two buildings. Rey saw garbage littering the street, a cat prowling around, and a bearded man sleeping in the shadows. Then Luke was landing outside a low building with a sagging roof, lit by a feeble, flickering yellow sign. _The Blue Bantha_ , the sign read, under a crude drawing of a bantha so faded it looked more white than blue.

“The good old Bantha,” Luke said. “Must be at least a hundred years old at this point.”

“You’ve been here before?” Rey saw a human couple fondling each other in the shadows and quickly looked away.

“Only once, and that was a long time ago.” Luke said. “Chewie’s only been here three times. Nobody will recognize us.” He stood up. “We’ll stay here tonight. Tomorrow, we’ll be off to the Jedi Archives.”

Rey followed Luke and Chewie off the ship and gasped as the heavy air, smelling strongly of diesel, sewage, gasoline, and smoke assaulted her nostrils. She breathed through her mouth, but the air still seemed as thick as soup. She felt light-headed.

“Quick; let’s get inside,” said Luke. “The air down here’s so polluted, you can get sick if you’re not used to it.”

Rey hurriedly followed her two companions up a cracked pavement, through a door that stuck, and into a room where the air was cleaner and less oppressive, though now it smelled musty and old. The paint on the walls was peeling, the uncarpeted floor was stained and rotting in places, and the weak light was provided by a couple of bulbs. Nobody was around except a bored-looking Ongree sitting at a rickety desk.

“One room with two beds, please,” Luke said, walking up to the desk.

The Ongree didn’t even move his eyestalks as he handed Luke a keycard. “Room 12, down the hall and to the left. Enjoy your stay.”

Again, Luke and Chewie set off down the hall, followed by Rey. She gazed around her in the musty-smelling darkness, wondering when and how Luke had taken charge on this journey. But everything was still so new and strange to her that she felt numb, incapable of doing anything but trailing after her friends and staring at her surroundings.

Luke had to use the keycard twice before the door would unlock. The musty smell was even stronger inside than outside. Luke pressed a button and an old-fashioned lamp turned on, revealing a pair of beds, a small metal table with a wobbly chair, a holoprojector that looked at least fifty years old, and a stained carpet.

“Now we can talk.” Luke sat down on the chair, which creaked under him. He indicated the bed across from him. After quickly checking for bedbugs, Rey gingerly sat down on the edge of it, nervousness stirring in her stomach again.

“Rey, did you use the Force at all, before you met Kylo Ren?”

Rey thought of her childhood on Jakku, trying to remember. “I don’t know.”

“Did Ren teach you how to do the Jedi mind trick on Starkiller Base?”

“He didn’t teach me anything. He just chained me down and looked into my mind.” The memory came back into her mind, so real she could almost feel the restraints over her chest, smell Ren’s foul breath on her face, taste the bile rising up in her throat. She felt dizzy.

“What happened afterwards?”

“I don’t know,” Rey whispered. She remembered the invisible fingers digging into her mind, laying bare her thoughts for the monster to see. “I—I…”

“I’m sorry; I shouldn’t have asked. You don’t have to talk about it if you don’t want to,” Luke said gently.

“I do,” Rey said, swallowing. She meant it; Luke was the only one who could help her. “When he looked into my mind, something woke up…inside me…” Rey placed a hand over her heart, touched her head. “I don’t know how else to say it. And then I could _do_ things…use the Force, Leia said.”

“When you told the guard to let you out and he did, was that just after Ren invaded your mind?”

She nodded.

“Did you do anything else with the Force?”

“I fought Kylo Ren, with your lightsaber.”

“You fought…” Luke gazed at her, his eyes wide, then shook his head. “This is impossible,” he muttered. “Unbelievable.”

Rey felt irritation mixing with her nervousness. “It can’t be impossible, because it happened. Why are you angry with me anyway? What does it matter what I did with the Force, when it saved my life?”

“I’m not angry,” Luke said, “and it matters because Ren may have awakened your Force abilities when he invaded your mind.”

“What? How could he do that?”

“I don’t know. But what he did to you was monstrous, one of the worst crimes a Force-user can commit. The Jedi considered it rape. And before this, no Jedi or Sith in recorded history ever violated the mind of a Padawan, or any beginning Force-user, so we don’t know what the effects would be. But the fact that you could use the Jedi mind trick and wield a lightsaber afterwards—it looks like Ren’s mind probe may be responsible.”

Rey was thunderstruck. “So, you’re saying Kylo may have _taught_ me how to use the Force, by accident? He put his Force abilities into my mind?”

Luke nodded grimly.

Rey shuddered, feeling filthy. She pulled the lightsaber out of her belt and pushed it away from her, on the bed. She saw Luke giving her a strange look and said, “I didn’t want this. I didn’t ask for this to happen. It wasn’t my fault!”

“I know it wasn’t,” Luke said quickly. “I was just…remembering.”

“What do we do, then? Ren is out looking for you, and he could use me to find you!”

“There’s not much we can do, at the moment.”

“What? Can’t you teach me how to use the Force, to keep him out of my mind? Or…I don’t know…meditation?”

Luke shook his head. “Ren already knows every Force ability I could teach you, and every meditation technique. He’d find a way to get around it. If it happens again, I suggest focusing on something he’s not likely to know. Something on Jakku. A picture in your mind, or a song.” He shrugged.

“A _song_?” Rey could hardly believe her ears. She wanted to shake the old Jedi Master. “That’s all you can say? That’s all you’re going to do to help?”

“There’s nothing else I _can_ do!” The sharpness of Luke’s answer surprised Rey, but not as much as the desperation in his voice. “I trained Kylo Ren; I lived with him for over twenty years, and I taught him every single thing I know. He _knows_ me, Rey, and he knows what I could teach you. Whatever I teach you to do with the Force, he’ll be watching and waiting for it. I don’t even know what his plan is, or why he’s connected to you, or what he did to your Force abilities. We’re walking a thin line as it is; one misstep could bring him and the entire First Order down on our heads. Or on Leia’s; they’re tracking her through hyperspace…”

“They can track the Resistance through hyperspace?” Rey interrupted.

“That’s what Leia told me.”

“Then we’re lost.” Rey sank back down on the bed. “They’ve got us.”

“Not yet.” Luke shifted in the chair, clenching his fists on his knees. “Leia told me she has a plan. And we’ll find a way to break this connection between you and Ren, somehow.”

“Is that why we’re going to the Jedi Archives?”

“That and other reasons, personal reasons.” Luke leaned forward. “Listen to me, Rey. Everything I can think of doing would only attract Ren’s attention. So please, please just try focusing on something from Jakku for a while. You might not have to do it long, only until we find a real solution. Please humor me in this, Rey.”

Rey frowned at the pleading note in his voice. He sounded serious about this: he wasn’t just trying to get out of helping her, now. “All right,” she said grudgingly.

Luke sighed, and his face relaxed. “Thanks, Rey. I know how hard this must be for you. But like I said, it should only be temporary. We’ll break this connection somehow. And Leia’s already got a plan to escape the First Order. There’s still hope.”

 _Not what you were saying back on Ach-To_ , Rey thought, but didn’t say. Chewie wasn’t as polite; he let out a sarcastic snort.

Luke scowled over at Chewie. “I know I sound like a hypocrite; don’t rub it in.” He turned back to Rey. “You should get some sleep. We’ve got a big day tomorrow and a lot of research to do.”

Surprisingly, Rey’s bed was completely free of bugs and had clean sheets, although the mattress and pillow were harder than Luke’s pallet on Ach-To. She huddled beneath the scratchy blanket, thinking about Luke’s fear and warnings. Her disappointment was still sharp. Maybe Luke had changed his mind about returning to the Resistance, but he still wasn’t the wise, all-powerful Jedi Master she’d expected and hoped for. Think about something on Jakku…sing a song…what kind of advice was that?

Frustrated, she rolled over onto her stomach and buried her face in the pillow. Maybe it was the sight of the workers she’d seen in CoCo Town earlier that afternoon, but a song was already starting to come into her mind, an old Jakku miners’ song. _Tramp and tunnel, hack and haul; someday soon some rain must fall_ …

* * *

 

The next morning, they had breakfast in a diner near the Blue Bantha. They walked out into the rundown lobby again, where the bored-looking Ongree still sat, then rushed across the filthy street in the horrible, stinking air, then entered the diner, which was as old and shabby as the inn.

Their waiter was a talkative Besalisk, who asked them several questions about why they were on Coruscant, to which Luke always gave vague answers. Rey didn’t bother to say anything, partly because she was so out of her depth and partly because she was too busy eating. The Gartro egg omelets, toast, and caf tasted good to Rey, even though Luke and Chewie said they were bad.

“You three goin’ to the Convention?” their waiter asked, after refilling their caf cups.

“We’ll try to get there, if the crowds aren’t too heavy,” Luke answered. “Are you going?”

“Nah, not me. I get enough First Order speeches from watchin’ the news: don’t feel like I need to go all the way to Monument Plaza to hear more.”

“The Convention’s being held in Monument Plaza?”

“Sure. Where else would it be?”

“Well…the Jedi Museum.”

“The Jedi Museum!” The Besalisk stared at Luke. “You outta your mind?”

“Well, I thought, since it was the Imperial Palace once…” Luke’s voice sounded both uncertain and contrite. Rey didn’t know whether he was faking it or not.

“It ain’t been the Imperial Palace for forty years. Where you been _living_ all this time?” the waiter said, shaking his head. “Nah, nobody from the First Order goes there. They _hate_ the Jedi; why would they want to learn about ‘em?”

Luke sighed, and his shoulders slumped. “I’m getting old.” He took a long swig of his caf. “Seems like just yesterday Palpatine dissolved the Imperial Senate.”

“I was just a hatchling at the time, but my dad’s told me stories,” the waiter said. “Lucky the First Order ain’t as bad. After all, they’re bringin’ the Senate back, right?”

Rey, anger rising in her, began, “But they…” when Luke put his hand on her arm and shook his head at her. She fell silent, but she was still seething.

Luke drained the last of his caf. “We’re ready to pay.”

“Sure.” The waiter brought up a tablet, moved his finger around on it, and showed it to them. As Chewie handed him the required credits, Luke asked, “By the way, do any speeders down here go all the way to Monument Plaza?”

“’Course they do, for the right kinda money. Not many down here have that money, though. I’d take a civ transport if I were you.”

“Thanks; we’ll keep that in mind.” Luke got up. “Come on, Greybok. Come on, Tahiri.” It took Rey a second to remember her alias. “We’re off. Thanks for the meal.”

“No problem.” The waiter was already clearing their table. “Have a good time. I’ll watch the Convention when it’s broadcast later tonight.”

* * *

The human speeder pilot they found later wasn’t so enthusiastic about the Convention. “If you want to go to Monument Plaza, you’re out of luck,” she grumbled. “It’s gonna be mobbed; the best I can do is set you down on the nearest landing platform.”

“We’re not going to Monument Plaza,” Luke said, as he and his companions climbed into the vehicle. “We’re going to the Jedi Museum.”

“Oh.” The pilot looked surprised.

“Is there something wrong?” Luke asked.

“No, not really…it’s just hardly anyone goes there, these days.”

“But it’s still open, isn’t it?”

“Oh, yeah, it’s still open. But the Knights of Ren are in and out of there all the time. Not many people want to run into them; I know I don’t.”

Luke heard Rey stifle a groan. Even as he felt his heart sinking, Luke hastily framed a new cover story. “It'd be good if I could talk to Kylo Ren himself for my book, but I doubt he gives interviews,” he said lightly.

“Oh, you’re writing a book?” asked the pilot, looking around at them briefly.

“Yep. A history book about the rise and fall of the Jedi, and the rise of the Knights of Ren.”

“Well, good luck with it. I was never into the Jedi and the Force, but I know some people are.” The pilot looked at them with narrowed eyes. “You better make sure the Supreme Leader’s okay with it; otherwise he could have you arrested and tortured, or worse.”

“Duly noted,” Luke said, keeping his face bland and calm. He allowed his face to relax as soon as the pilot was looking straight ahead, relapsing into gloom. If Snoke and Kylo Ren hadn’t closed or destroyed the Jedi Museum, why were the Knights of Ren going there all the time? _They want to change the records to suit the First Order’s purposes._ Luke covered his eyes, wanting to shrink inside himself. _And the worst things they’ll write about me will be true_.

He heard Rey ask in Shyriiwook, _“So, now what are we going to do?”_

 _“Careful,”_ Chewie said. _“Better not to talk at all about the history until we send formal notice of it to the Supreme Leader.”_

Luckily, Rey must have understood Chewie’s hidden message, for she stopped talking. Luke glanced at her for a moment. She could be irritating, but she was a smart girl. If only she’d been one of Luke’s Padawans before. If only she’d never met Kylo Ren. Anger flashed hot in Luke’s heart as he thought of what his nephew had done to her.

The rest of the flight to the Museum was made in silence. The light grew brighter, the people they saw looked richer and happier, and Luke knew the air was getting cleaner. Soon they were sitting in traffic with other speeders, private and public, as well as civilian transports. Mostly full of citizens on their way to the Convention, Luke guessed. By now, the message which had confused Rey was being flashed on every screen Luke could see: _Welcome home, Republic! This year, the Republic is coming home!_ Luke shut his eyes; he thought he might jump out of the speeder if he had to read it one more time.

At last, the traffic cleared, and the speeder entered the old Temple Precinct. As the Jedi Museum came into view, Luke heard Rey gasp. He smiled, partly from his old memories—he remembered how he’d reacted when he’d first seen the building—and partly from relief. It had not changed in seven years. The five spires and the Ziggurat were still there, and the site still felt rich in the Force. After the fall of the Empire, Luke had had the forbidding walls of the Imperial Palace removed and the building restored as closely to what it had been during the Republic. It seemed that Kylo Ren hadn’t had time to alter it for his own purposes, or perhaps he didn’t care.

The pilot flew over the Processional Way, which Luke had always thought suited an Imperial Palace better than a Jedi Temple, over rebuilt statues of ancient Jedi, now with information placards at their feet. Then slowly, the speeder descended in front of the main entrance. Luke heard Rey whisper, “Oh, _Force,_ ” beside him. Luke nearly echoed her. There were the twelve huge pylons, decorated with images of the Four Masters. There were the four rebuilt statues: of the two Warrior Masters and the two Sage Masters. Luke gazed at the imposing entrance, feeling much as he had on his first trip to Coruscant long ago: a mixture of awe, anxiety, and disgust.

“Good luck with your book,” the pilot said, as they scrambled out of the speeder and Chewie paid the fare. “Hope I can read it someday.”

Luke, Rey, and Chewie walked slowly into the Museum, into the vast hallway, lined with pillars and stretching up to a ceiling lost in shadow. As before, Luke grew sick at heart. How had the Jedi come to this, living like inaccessible kings or gods? He thought of his past on Tatooine, of the tired but determined Rebellion fighters, of the workers in CoCo Town, and of Rey’s past on Jakku. What had happened to the Jedi before their fall, that they could shut out the rest of the Galaxy as they’d been doing? _Then again_ , _my methods weren’t much better. This Jedi Order lasted for thousands of years; mine lasted less than thirty._

“This is incredible,” Rey said breathlessly, looking up at the ceiling. “How many Jedi lived here anyway?”

“A lot, but not nearly enough to use all this space,” Luke said bitterly. “Come on; we need to check the Archives. If there’s time, you can look around the Museum afterwards.”

“All right,” Rey said, sounding surprised. Luke rubbed his forehead as they boarded the nearby lifts. _She doesn’t know_ , he thought, as they traveled up to the top of the Ziggurat. _She thinks just as I thought: the Jedi were perfect, were heroes of the Galaxy. Before I saw this place and learned the truth_. Not for the first time, he wondered how Obi-Wan could have spoken so highly of the Jedi with a clear conscience. But no; he was being unfair. Obi-Wan had been more honest later, after he’d become one with the Force. And he’d tried to bring the Jedi back into the world again, had tried to stop the Jedi focusing so much on the “Chosen One” and get them to focus on the problems at hand, had been a fighter and a politician and a hero in his own right. Both Obi-Wan and his father had tried to change things. _And Father fell to the Dark Side for it_. _Just like I tried to change things and might as well have fallen to the Dark Side_.

 _Ben woke up_ …Luke shuddered.

 _“Luke?”_ Chewie tapped him on the shoulder and pointed to the cavernous doorway at the other end of the hall. They had reached the floor of the Archives. Shoving his memories into the back of his mind, Luke led his companions off the lift and down the hall. They found a stern-faced human woman in a gray robe standing in front of a massive door with a keypad on it. Luke guessed she was the Chief Librarian.

“I’m sorry, but the Archives are closed,” she said, crossing her arms.

“Closed?” Luke repeated.

“Nobody is allowed in the Archives without authorization from the Supreme Leader or the Knights of Ren.”

Luke felt his shoulders slump. He’d hoped he would only have to do this once. Then again, had things gone the way he’d hoped at all in the past seven years?

He waved his hand before the librarian’s face. “You will allow us into the Archives.”

The librarian’s face went blank. “I will allow you into the Archives,” she repeated. She typed in a code on the keypad, and the door opened. Luke walked past her into the room, followed by Chewie and Rey. He waved his hand before the woman’s face again. “You will shut the door behind us and open it again when I knock on it three times.”

“I will shut the door behind you and open it again when you knock on it three times,” said the librarian. She typed in another code, and the door slid closed.

“If any First Order spies are here, I’ve just drawn their attention,” Luke said, shaking his head. “I may as well have posted a vid of myself on the Holonet.” He turned to Chewie. “Think you can hack into the Stacks?”

“ _Sure_.” Chewie settled in front of the computer and began typing. _“What are we looking for_?”

“The list of Jedi over the past fifty years, plus their background information. Just hope and pray Ren hasn’t erased it all.”

The list popped up, and Luke sighed in relief. There were the names of his students, along with their birth and death dates.

 _Ila Croy_.

 _Jari_.

_Nora Leto._

_Ogen Vaile._

_Mace Zornu_

And the others, less gifted in the Force, perhaps, but no less loved. All of whom had died in 27 ABY, because of him.

“Were these your students?” Rey whispered.

Luke felt the pressure in his chest and the pricking of tears in his eyes, and he could only nod. Luckily, Rey didn’t say anything else, for he couldn’t trust himself to speak. _Kylo Ren woke up_ … _no, no…there is no emotion, there is peace…select the names. Just select the names and read._

He touched the first name on the list, _Wei Ano_ , and read what he’d entered himself. Born on Hays Minor, discovered to be Force-sensitive at age four, evidence of minor Force sensitivity in her grandparents. He searched for information on the Ano family, looking for something about Jakku, or at least the Jakku system. There was nothing, no evidence that the Ano family had ever been off Hays Minor.

He touched the next name, _Ila Croy_. She had been one of his best students, which was remarkable, seeing as how her mother had tried to suppress her Force ability. Born on Coruscant, the daughter of two disgraced Imperial officials forced to flee to the Outer Rim. There was plenty of information on the Croys’ dismissal, attempted arrest, and flight, but nothing linking them to Jakku.

Luke moved from name to name, searching, desperately trying to find some link between his students and the stranger from Jakku, to no avail. When he’d finished researching Mace Zornu—born on Haruun Kal, named after Jedi Master Mace Windu, parents secret supporters of the Rebellion—his shoulders were aching, and his eyelids felt grainy. He leaned his head on his fist, tired and disappointed. Rey really was no one, it seemed. She had no connection to the students he’d loved.

_How can I get attached to her or even like her? Does the Force really expect her to replace Ila, or Jari, or Mace? Any of them?_

A sniffle behind him drew his attention. He spun the chair around to see Rey kneeling on the floor, her face streaked with tears.

“Why are you crying?” Luke said irritably.

“I’m mourning for your students.”

“What?”

“It’s how we mourn on Jakku. We try to shed tears whenever someone dies. It’s called ‘giving water to the dead’”. Rey gave him a look full of sympathy. “I never knew your students, but you must have been—I mean—it was horrible, what happened.”

The lump in Luke’s throat grew bigger. “You’re right. It…” he began, but he couldn’t go on. _Ila and Jari and Mace died in 27 ABY, because of me. I tried to change things, and I failed._ Tears sprang to his own eyes, and he tried to hold them back. _There is no emotion, there is peace…one stab would end it…there is no ignorance, there is knowledge…one stab would stop it…there is no passion, there…Ben woke up and killed them all_.

He couldn’t stop himself from weeping, sitting huddled in the chair, shaking. At times he sobbed so hard he couldn’t breathe, and then he felt Rey put her arms around him and press his head to her chest. He heard her voice, “Breathe, Master Skywalker…it’s all right. Breathe,” and he wanted to say, _No, it’s not all right, don’t be stupid_ , but he couldn’t, he couldn’t do anything but sob harder. He almost pulled away, crying, _Don’t comfort me! I don’t deserve it!_ but instead he put his own arms around Rey, clinging to her as the only solid thing in a changing, chaotic world. Over and over again, he saw the faces of people who’d died because of him—Uncle Owen and Aunt Beru, Obi-Wan Kenobi, the pilots in the Rebellion he’d failed to save, his students, Han—and the face of Ben, who’d fallen to the Dark Side because of him. _Oh, Force, let me die. I’ve been punished for seven years. Let me die_.

After what seemed like an interminable amount of time, Luke calmed down. He looked up and saw Rey’s face through his tears, gazing on him with sympathy. At that moment, he loved her. She would never replace any of his students, she might not even become his new student, but he loved her anyway, perhaps as a daughter or a niece. If he and Mara had gotten married, if things had worked out between them—and there was another life mistake—Rey might have been their daughter.

He opened his mouth to speak and saw a horrified look on Rey’s face.

“Master Luke, help me,” she whispered, clutching his shoulders. “He’s here. Kylo Ren is here."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> All the descriptive information on Coruscant, CoCo Town, and the Jedi Temple/Imperial Palace comes from Wookiepedia.
> 
> Turning the former Jedi Temple/Imperial Palace into a museum seemed logical to me. I figured since Luke decided to build his Academy on Yavin IV, he was disillusioned when he found out how many of the Jedi behaved in the prequels. However, I doubt he would want to destroy a piece of Jedi history like the Temple. Hence the Jedi Museum.
> 
> Luke's students, their names, and their brief backstories are mine. I feel a little bad putting out tantalizing background information about characters who are dead and whom we'll never see, but I wanted to show that Luke loved his students deeply.
> 
> The idea that Kylo Ren would alter information on the Jedi rather than destroying all records of the Jedi (as Vader and Palpatine did) is also mine. It just seems in character for him to change history to make himself and Vader look as good as possible.
> 
> It's also my headcanon that Rey can't read, or can't read very well. Having grown up as an orphaned scavenger on a desert planet, how could she possibly have learned to read? In my story, she knew somebody on Jakku who taught her to read a little, so she's not completely illiterate, but she can't read harder words she's never seen before.
> 
> The phrase and concept of "giving water to the dead" are from Frank Herbert's Dune series. The Fremen, the desert people in that series, never cry, since they've evolved not to lose any moisture on their desert planet. So when somebody cries at a funeral, it's incredibly unusual and holy.
> 
> We're still not clear how the First Order is ruling over the Galaxy. Judging from what we've been shown so far in the movies, they seem to have less power than the Empire and are more like the Nazi Party before they took over Germany rather than after they took over. So my idea is that they destroyed the Republic in the Hosnian System, which was loyal to the Resistance, and are setting up a puppet government, which they'll still be calling a Republic and a Senate in order to fool the stupider, the more ignorant, or the more complicit citizens of the Galaxy. If I'm wrong, and the new EU says something different, don't hesitate to correct me.
> 
> In fact, constructive criticism is extremely welcome, on this whole story.


	6. Slipping Away

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which Luke and Rey escape from Coruscant, Kylo Ren learns the truth about Padmé, and Luke and Leia are reunited.

Kylo Ren sat cross-legged on the floor of the Archives, clad in a black tunic and leggings and matching boots. He looked at Rey with the faint little smirk he’d worn back on Ach-To. Rey was hyperventilating, awash in anger and fear. She wanted to scream, wanted to attack him and flee from him at the same time. She felt the solidity of Luke’s hands on her shoulders, but she didn’t dare look at his face, in case Ren saw where she was looking and found… _oh, Force, he can see Luke!_

But Ren didn’t act like he could see Luke. He said, “Why is the Force connecting us? You and I.”

“Murderous _snake_!” Rey hissed, tears in her eyes, trying unsuccessfully to break free from Luke’s grip. She heard him whispering, “Calm down…don’t attack…it’s just a vision…” But if it was just a vision, why was Ren talking to her?

“You’ve found Luke Skywalker, haven’t you?” Ren asked, his eyes lighting up with that feral gleam she’d seen earlier. The look on his face unleashed all the anger and terror inside her.

“No! But neither will you! I’ll _die_ before I let you find him!” she cried, trying again to shake off Luke’s hands on her shoulders. She didn’t care if it was just a vision; she was going to kill him. He’d never get to Luke. Not while she had breath in her body.

“ _Don’t fight him!_ ” Luke whispered fiercely. _“Don’t even speak to him!_ He’s goading you, Rey; it’s a trap! Now breathe…think of something from Jakku…something that’s not him…it’s all right…”

“If you knew what I did, you wouldn’t be so eager to defend Skywalker,” Ren said, softly and silkily, shaking his head.

“Rey, remember!” Luke whispered harshly, gripping her shoulders. “Something from Jakku! The song!”

 _The song_. Immediately, Rey’s mind went back to the parching wastes of Jakku, the miners trudging through blowing sand, and their doleful chanting. “T-tramp and tunnel, hack and haul; s-someday soon some rain must fall,” she stammered, barely able to keep the tune. “Trudge and stumble through the sand; one day streams will heal the land.”

Her eyes were shut, but she heard the anger and confusion in Kylo Ren’s voice: “What are you doing? What’s that song?”

Rey’s voice grew stronger; she saw herself as a child again, trotting between the Graveyard of Ships and Niima Outpost, singing to keep her spirits up. “Let the dust storms rage and blow; in the future rivers flow. Let us die on burning stones; floods will sweep away our bones.”

“Stop it!” Ren ordered. “Stop singing!”

The fury in his voice only made Rey sing louder: “Sweep our bones far out to sea; then, at last, we’ll all be free.”

“I _said_ stop it!” Ren snapped.

Luke let go of Rey’s shoulders and whirled around to face Ren. Rey gasped as she sensed him accessing the Force.

“Mind-rapist,” Luke snarled. “Leave Rey in peace!” There was smothered rage in the next word he spoke. “ _Go!_ ”

Ren vanished.

* * *

 

Kylo Ren screamed at the sharp pain in his head. As quickly as it came, it went. His eyes popped open, and he saw the black holographic projector, the walls decorated in red and black paneling, and the glass case on his desk holding Darth Vader’s helmet. He was back in his quarters on the _Finalizer_. Rey was nowhere to be found. And though he hadn’t seen who attacked him, he had recognized the voice. It was the voice of his uncle, the sound of which almost turned him sick with rage. His uncle…who had tried to murder him.

Kylo stood up. He ignited his lightsaber and brought it downwards, slicing through his projector, pretending it was Luke. The lightsaber hummed and hissed. Shreds of metal and plastic and pieces of broken glass and sparks flew up into the air as he hacked and slashed at metal and wires and plastic. _No matter what I do, he thwarts me. He’s still alive and thwarting me._

Soon the projector was reduced to a twisted, burnt hunk of rubble. But the Dark Side of the Force was still a hot current of hatred and disappointment and wounded pride, flowing through his body. Bad enough that Skywalker had tried to murder him for the same reasons the Jedi had tried to murder Darth Vader, bad enough that he was still a symbol of hope for the Galaxy, as Snoke said. But now he was brainwashing Rey, probably pouring the poisonous doctrine of the Jedi into her ears. He would ruin her before Kylo could even speak to her face to face, turning her into another mindless, empty-headed follower of the Jedi Code. It was disgusting and inhumane.

 _Obi-Wan Kenobi did it to Padmé. We can’t Skywalker do it to Rey_ , Darth Vader said in his head.

Confusion scattered Kylo’s thoughts. _Padmé? My grandmother?_

 _My great love, the woman I chose to rule the Galaxy at my side. Obi-Wan Kenobi and the other Jedi turned her against me_. The deep, mechanical voice had a note of sadness in it. _I…I had to kill her._

Kylo’s head spun. As a child, he’d visited his grandmother’s family on Naboo, and he had heard hints of her marriage to Lord Vader. His mother always got upset about it. “Vader killed our mother!” she always told Skywalker. As he’d grown older and learned more about Darth Vader from Snoke and the Imperial records, he’d learned not to believe it. But now Vader was saying…

“Why?” he asked.

 _She was dangerous. With her position in the Senate and the Jedi influencing her, she might have brought down the Empire. She visited me on Mustafar to accuse me. She…told me she hated me, told me she would fight me and the Empire until her dying day. I_ had _to do it_.

“But you…you _did_ kill her! It wasn’t just a lie the Rebels told me!” Kylo said, his voice growing louder and shakier.

 _Oh, my son!_ Vader’s voice had a note of anguish in it. _Do you have any idea of the pain I felt when I learned what I had to do? How it broke my heart to deliver the final blow? It nearly destroyed me. But I endured, for the Empire. To bring order to the Galaxy._

Kylo calmed somewhat. Order to the Galaxy. Yes. That was the most important goal.

 _I put aside my own feelings for the greater good_ , Darth Vader continued. _But you need not do this, my son. Speak to Rey, let her know the truth of what happened that night, and she will be on our side. Rescue her from Skywalker and bring her into the First Order. She will be a Sith worthy even of you, my son._

Kylo remembered Rey’s fury as she attacked him, her strength in the Force. _Worthy even of me_. Of course. If they could turn Rey to the Dark Side, she would be the second-most powerful Force user in the First Order. She might even become a Knight of Ren. And after that…Kylo licked his lips as he remembered digging into her mind on Starkiller Base, her beautiful agony and fear. Of course, she was only desert trash at present. But if he and Snoke could turn her to the Dark Side, she would listen to him, and he could not only train her to use the Force, but educate her, polish her up, and turn her from a ragged little urchin into a princess, worthy of being an empress.

 _And THEN we would rule the Galaxy together. Just like Darth Vader and Padmé should have_.

* * *

 

As Luke had commanded, the librarian opened the door when he knocked on it three times. Rey, Luke, and Chewie hurried out of the Archives and into a lift. This time, they didn’t have the lift to themselves. Rey’s heart thumped whenever they stopped at a floor and a new passenger got on. Luckily, all the passengers looked ordinary. _Unless they’re Knights of Ren in disguise_. At this thought, she shut her eyes, feeling sick to her stomach. The Force was just beyond her grasp, singing to her, but she didn’t dare reach for it.

The foyer of the Museum was deserted, as was the Processional Way near the main entrance. There wasn’t a speeder in sight. Luke walked quickly down the Processional Way, followed by his two companions. Rey kept her eyes on Luke’s back. She didn’t stop to admire the statues or the trees, and she feared to look up at the sky, half expecting a First Order ship to appear. There was a faint sound of someone’s voice and a sound like far off cheering.

At last, just outside the Temple Precinct, they found a speeder, whose human pilot was standing next to it, smoking a deathstick. He threw away his deathstick when they walked up to him, but he climbed into the pilot’s seat slowly, as if he were reluctant.

“The Blue Bantha, in CoCo Town,” Luke ordered, as they climbed in.

“CoCo Town?” the pilot said, wrinkling his nose as he looked back at them. “You sure about that?”

“Of course, I’m sure!” Luke said sharply.

“Just checking,” the pilot said, as he started the engine. “If you guys want to choke to death down there, that’s your business.”

 _Better than being tortured to death up here_ , thought Rey, as they took off. She gazed at the sky, which was a clear, freshly-washed blue, like the ocean on Ach-To. It seemed to mock her with its beauty. Soon a First Order ship would come out of that sky and start firing on them and the city. Or she would see Kylo Ren again, smirking at her.

 _"Citizens of the Galaxy_ …” Rey jumped as she heard these words, in a recorded voice she recognized: a high, cold, clipped voice. As the voice was drowned out by the roar of a crowd, she glanced to her left and saw him, larger than life, on a screen.

“Hux!” she cried out, with a shudder. “They’re here!”

“Shush!” Luke whispered sharply, though he looked just as afraid as she felt. He tapped the pilot on the shoulder. “Can you go another way? Avoid Monument Plaza?”

The pilot looked at Hux’s face on the screen, then at the credits that Chewie was fidgeting with, and sighed. “Right away,” he said, and flew them sharply to the left, between two buildings.

Hux’s voice and the cheering grew fainter and fainter as they flew down into the depths of Coruscant again. Again, Rey saw and felt the sunlight being blotted out by the buildings, watched the landing platforms and streets grow filthier, saw the exhausted-looking people, fewer than when they’d arrived.

She relaxed a little; at least if the First Order sent any ships, they would have trouble finding them down here. _But what if they’re waiting for us_?

The pilot slowly landed the speeder outside the Blue Bantha, whose flickering sign was still lit up. After Chewie had paid him, he, Luke, and Rey ran into the inn to grab their belongings, paid the bored Ongree, who droned, “Have a nice day,” and boarded the _Falcon_.

“Not so much as a Stormtrooper,” Luke said, as he flew the _Falcon_ back up into the brighter section of Coruscant. He shook his head. “We had a lucky escape—too lucky.”

 _“We haven’t escaped yet,”_ said Chewie pointedly.

“But we weren’t stopped either. With Ren in Rey’s head and Hux giving a speech at the Convention…”

“I thought you said Kylo Ren couldn’t spy on us through me!” Rey interrupted.

“He can’t, but if he saw and recognized where you were, he’d send half the fleet to Coruscant.”

Rey remembered Ren asking if she’d found Luke. She remembered him vanishing as soon as Luke spoke to him. “He—he didn’t act like he saw you,” she said shakily, trying to calm herself. “So maybe he didn’t see where I was.”

“Let’s hope not,” Luke said. He gave Rey a brief smile. “Good job distracting him with that song.”

Rey warmed with the praise, but she was confused. “Why’d you tell me you couldn’t do anything, if you could chase him off just like that?”

“It was the only time I could ‘chase him off,’ as you put it—when he was distracted and when he didn’t know I was with you,” Luke said. There was a brief silence, before Luke said in a lower voice, “To be honest, when I thought of what he’d done to you, I—I got angry, and—did it without thinking.”

Rey’s face heated up, and her stomach tingled—with embarrassment? It was both embarrassing and pleasant. Before she could think of what to say, Luke said in a firmer voice, “The Jedi always discouraged acting on impulse. And it got me and other Jedi into a lot of trouble. So, I don’t want you doing it either. Do as I say, not as I do, okay?”

Before Rey could answer, Chewie growled, _“First Order ship! To the east!”_

“Oh, Force!” Rey gasped. She looked and saw the ship slowly sinking through the atmosphere.

Luke glanced at it and frowned. “It’s one TIE Boarding Craft. Why would they send only…never mind. Take us to hyperspace, Chewie.”

 _“Way ahead of you, Luke_. _”_ Chewie pressed the button.

* * *

 

Barely an hour later, Supreme Leader Snoke met with both Kylo Ren and General Hux in his throne room.

“This is your fault!” Kylo said, pacing in front of the Supreme Leader’s throne. “If you’d ordered part of the fleet to Coruscant, we might have had her and Skywalker by now!”

“Have you forgotten the Convention?” Snoke said softly.

“Damn the Convention! We let Rey and Skywalker slip through our fingers because of your kriffing Convention!”

“Lord Ren, I must remind you that the First Order is a government, not a terrorist organization,” General Hux said, mildly but with undertones of scorn. “If you’d prefer to blow up cities out of petulance, you could always join the Faceless.”

Kylo ignited his lightsaber and opened his mouth to rage at Hux, but the Supreme Leader held up his hand for silence.

“Put your lightsaber away, young Ren. The General is right: we must focus on stabilizing the government and restoring order to the Galaxy.” Ren’s face heated up; he looked at the floor, seething with anger and shame. “Especially now that we’ve lost our Starkiller Weapon.” Ren looked up to see Hux’s face flush red; he smirked and felt some of his anger dissipate. “Rey and Skywalker—if Skywalker is really with her—”

“He _is_ ,” Kylo insisted. “I heard his voice; I sensed him!”

Snoke continued, --“picked an unfortunate time to visit Coruscant. But now that they’ve left, we may bring them down more easily. In the meantime, the Intelligence personnel we sent to Coruscant will track down those who helped our quarry and gather information from them. We shall send a message to the Galaxy, a warning to those who try to rally around Skywalker.”

“And Rey?”

“Patience, young Ren,” Snoke said silkily, stroking his wrinkled cheek. “Rey will be returning to the Resistance, which is almost in our grasp, thanks to the General. After we destroy them, you’ll have your little desert flower all to yourself.”

Kylo burned all over, itching under his robes. His embarrassment and fear were drowning out his anger. How had Snoke known? Surely only Kylo and Vader knew of his plans regarding Rey. _Unless Snoke’s been probing my mind. But why could I not sense him?_

A distressed-looking officer ran into the throne room, his boots scuffing on the floor. He saluted General Hux, bowed to the Supreme Leader and Kylo, and said breathlessly, “Supreme Leader, Lord Ren, General, forgive this interruption, but I have some terrible news.”

* * *

 

“Where are we?” Rey asked, scanning the expanse of space outside the cockpit window. She couldn’t recognize anything.

 _“In the Outer Rim,”_ said Chewie. _“Horuset system, unless I miss my guess.”_

Luke groaned and clutched his forehead. “Out of the supernova, into the black hole.”

“Why?”

“This is the system of planet Moraband,” Luke said. Rey stared at him, still confused. “Home planet of the ancient Sith.”

 _“Oh.”_ Fear prickled at the back of her neck. “We should leave right away, then, shouldn’t we?”

“Unless the Force dragged us here, for a purpose.”

Rey was shocked. “The Force can do that?”

“The Force has played so many games with me over the years, I’m hardly sure what it can and can’t do anymore,” Luke groused, letting his head drop onto the dashboard.

 _“Oh, Luke, pull yourself together!”_ Chewie snapped. _“We’re nowhere near the planet; Sith ghosts can’t find us out here!”_

Sith ghosts? Rey’s heart started racing. She was about to ask more questions, but Chewie shook his head at her, pointing to Luke, who still seemed sunken in gloom.

* * *

 

 _Luke_.

Leia's voice in his mind! But it might not be. It might be a trick. Given where they were, it probably was.

 _Luke?_ More tentative this time. It did sound like Leia’s voice.

 _Luke? Are you there?_  

Luke took a deep breath. _Leia?_

_Luke, it's done. We've gotten away from the First Order._

Luke breathed faster. It couldn’t be a trick; ancient Sith Lords wouldn’t know about the First Order. 

 _Then we can join you?_ he asked.

_On Burnin Konn, at Konn-Nevos Spaceport, as fast as possible._

Luke almost laughed as he raised his head and turned to Chewie. "Take us into hyperspace, Chewie. We're going to the Resistance."

They were transported to the Anoat sector. Luke’s heart was in his throat as they came out of hyperspace and he saw the red planet. He couldn’t speak or even think; he seemed to be guiding the _Falcon_ automatically down to the surface. Neither Chewie nor Rey spoke; maybe they were as anxious as he was.

The ship soared over the barren land, colored a fiery orange. Dust devils swirled up from the sandy surface, coating the windows. Out of the corner of his eye, Luke saw Rey looking solemn and thought, _From one desert to another_. But even this thought was fleeting as he drew near Konn-Nevos Spaceport.

He barely heard Chewie alerting the Resistance to their presence and the voice of the communications officer. It was Chewie who gave him orders of where to dock at the spaceport, Chewie who gave him orders about how to land the ship. Luke obeyed mechanically. His palms were sweating, he was holding his breath, he grew hot and then cold with anxiety and even fear. What was there to be afraid of? But the crowds in the hangar, all the troopers and pilots in orange, made his heart sink.

When the hatch of the _Falcon_ opened, the echoing roar from the crowd nearly knocked Luke out of the seat. They were _cheering_ , shouting and screaming and jumping up and down. His face burning, he stepped off the ship with Rey and Chewie, looking over the excited crowd. There were no familiar faces. Of course, there weren’t; this wasn’t the Rebellion now. But where was Leia?

Over all the other voices, he heard someone shout, _“Rey!”_ He saw a dark-skinned young man in a jumpsuit run forward, saw Rey leap into his arms. He noticed a handsome, black-haired young man clap the other man on the shoulder. And then he saw the crowd parting, and now, at long last, she was striding forward.

She had changed little in seven years. Her hair was grayer, and there may have been more lines in her face. She was dressed in mourning; Luke felt a pang for Han, but it was soon swallowed up in the joy and pain of seeing her again. He felt tears in his eyes; her eyes were wet as well, but he knew she wouldn’t cry, not until she was in private.

“Hello, Luke,” General Leia Organa said.

Luke swallowed and blinked away his tears before speaking. “Hello, Leia.”

Leia reached up and traced his cheek, her fingers running over his beard. She shook her head. “You look terrible.”

Luke laughed through his tears. “It’s because you weren’t there to look after me. And you—you’ve…”

“Changed my hair; I know.” Leia stood still for a moment, before she threw her arms around him, hugging him so tightly he thought his ribs might crack. “You absolute _moof-milker_. You—I missed you so much, you stupid, _stupid_ man.”

 _Stupider than you know_. Luke hugged Leia as tightly. “I missed you too,” he whispered. This time, he let the tears flow.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The Faceless were a minor terrorist group featured in Legends canon. Hardly any information about them exists.
> 
> Any information about Burnin Konn comes from Wookiepedia.
> 
> Comments and/or criticism would be extremely welcome.


	7. Konn-Nevos Spaceport

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which there is talking, lots of talking. Seriously, this is pretty much an exposition chapter.

When Luke and Leia were alone in her stateroom, she gave him the welcome he knew he truly deserved. She slapped him across the face, so hard he staggered. He regained his footing, putting a hand on his burning cheek.

“Leia…” he said weakly.

“You _stupid_ man,” she said again, angrier than before. Her other hand came up and hit him on the other side of the face, with a loud _crack_. His eyes watered. “You complete _ass_ , you Force-damned _idiot_ , you half-witted, scruffy-looking…”

“Nerf herder?” Luke interrupted. Immediately, he wished he hadn’t said it. Leia’s glare deepened; Luke thought she might slap him again. Instead, she faced him, her hands on her hips, shaking her head.

“How could you do it? To me, Han and Chewie, all of us? To run off like that, without even telling us where you were going? And you only come back _now_? After seven years? We’ve needed you and worried about you for seven years, and all that time, you never tried to contact us…never even let us know you were all right…” Here Leia’s choked up, and she turned away and wiped her eyes. “For all we knew, you could have been _dead!”_

“It might be better if I was,” said Luke mournfully. His face was still tingling painfully.

_”Don’t you say that!”_ Leia said fiercely, grabbing his shoulders and shaking him. “Don’t you ever say something like that again!”

“I’m sorry,” Luke said, sinking down into Leia’s chair. “For this, for Ben, for…everything.”

Leia let go of her shoulders and crossed her arms. “You owe us a _lot_ of apologies for running away like you did, without even telling us. But why apologize for Ben? It was Snoke’s fault he fell to the Dark Side. You couldn’t have prevented it.”

Luke couldn’t say anything. _The darkness surrounding Ben’s Force signature…one stab…Ben woke up_. He shuddered and bile rose up in his throat.

“Luke? Are you okay?”

He swallowed his nausea and said, feebly, “I should have foreseen…”

“Luke, _this was not your fault!_ You tried your best with Ben for years; you _taught_ him! I tried to get him therapy, Han tried to distract him, and none of it worked. Maybe Snoke really had control of him even then. Maybe the Force just wanted to punish us for some reason. But whoever’s fault it was, _it was not yours._ Do you hear me?”

_It was!_ Luke wanted to wail. _Don’t waste your compassion on me!_ But Leia’s love and fury were too sweet for him to lose. Talking to Leia again, as brother and sister, was as wonderful as feeling access to the Force again. He couldn’t tell her the truth yet. _If ever. Oh, Force, forgive me_.

“No matter what warped ideas you’ve gotten into your head, we still need you,” Leia continued. “You’re still a symbol of hope to the Galaxy. And the whole Resistance is glad to see you. Didn’t you hear them cheering for you earlier?”

Luke’s face burned even more at the memory. “I came here without a plan,” he said. “I have no idea what to do.”

“I didn’t expect you to have a plan,” Leia said. “I just wanted you back.” She briskly pressed a button on the wall. “I’ll order a meal for us, and then get you ready to meet with the other senior officers, tomorrow. You badly need a shave.” She wrinkled her nose. “And a shower.”

Luke smiled tremulously. “Will you dress me up like you used to?”

“Absolutely. Have you looked in a mirror lately? Our mother would be ashamed of you.”

Luke covered his beard. “Don’t shave off the beard completely; it makes me look older and wiser.”

“You’ll need it, since you haven’t been _acting_ older and wiser.” Leia went to her nightstand and drew out a pair of scissors. “I’ll give you a trim, at least. You’re not a hermit anymore, Luke. You’re home now.”

* * *

“The General was _giggling_?” Finn asked in the mess hall next morning, sounding thunderstruck.

“ _Luke_ was giggling?” Rey asked.

“I know; I didn’t believe it either,” Poe said, shaking his head. “But I swear I saw them. They were laughing and crying with each other, hugging and kissing…the General was cutting Master Skywalker’s beard…and then Master Skywalker got a hairbrush and started brushing her hair.”

“Luke can _do hair_?” Rey said, laughing.

“Weird,” said Finn, shaking his head.

“It was weird, but it was also touching.” Poe took a drink of caf. “I mean, Master Skywalker and the General used to be so close back when they were in the Rebellion, and they haven’t seen each other in years. It was almost like they were young again.”

“I wish Chewie had been there with you,” Rey said. “He’d never let Luke live this down.”

“I bet Chewie would have joined right in,” Poe said. “He was there on all their adventures too, you know.” He looked thoughtful and sighed. “If only Han were here.”

“Thanks to that murderer, he’s not!” Rey growled, clenching her fist on the table. “I wish I’d killed Kylo Ren on Starkiller Base!”

Finn scratched his head; Poe knew he was nervous. “Um…well…”

“What is it?” Rey said, less angrily. “Spit it out.”

“It’s just…you were with Master Skywalker…and he…uh…he brought Darth Vader back to the Light…”

“I’m not acting much like a Jedi, right?” Rey’s eyes narrowed.

Finn held up his hands. “No, no! That wasn’t what I meant! I just…”

“I know what you meant,” Rey sighed and leaned her elbows on the table, putting her hands over her face. “I don’t know if I _can_ be a Jedi. I’m just so angry and frustrated all the time, and I hate Kylo Ren so much. If you’d seen what he did to Luke…” She stopped abruptly.

_What_ did _Kylo Ren do to Luke?_ Poe wanted to ask. But the subject was clearly painful to Rey, so he didn’t. He exchanged an anxious look with Finn. Kylo Ren had done something to Rey as well. He and Finn would have to help her, to save her from it.

_But don’t you need saving too?_ a taunting voice seemed to ask in Poe’s mind. Poe remembered the fingers clawing through his mind, Kylo Ren’s thoughts touching his own, and he shuddered, closed his eyes, and counted to ten. When he opened them again, he saw Finn and Rey both looking at him anxiously and forced a smile. No, he didn’t need saving. He was fine.

* * *

Luke used all his Jedi control to hide his anxiety and keep from fidgeting, as he sat down in the conference room. Leia had asked him to sit in on a meeting of the senior officers. The clean robes Leia had found for him felt stiff and uncomfortable, and his neck felt naked, where his hair had been cut. _I’m not a hermit anymore_. He stroked his smooth jawline, felt his cleanly-trimmed beard. _I’m not sure I can get used to this again_.

His heart beat faster when he recognized past officers from the Rebellion: Admiral Gial Ackbar, General Caluan Ematt, and Lieutenant-Commander Nien Nunb. None of them seemed to blame him for his long disappearance; they welcomed him back cheerfully, although Admiral Ackbar did say bluntly, “It’s about time you came back, Master Skywalker!”

_They don’t know,_ Luke reminded himself, both as a reassurance and a warning. _That’s why they’re welcoming you…but they can never know._

Leia also introduced him to the new officers: Major Taslin Brance, Vice-Admiral Amilyn Holdo, Admiral U.O. Statura, and Major Harter Kalonia. There was the same awe in their faces as in the faces of the younger troopers, though more carefully controlled. _The great Luke Skywalker, the living legend_ , he thought bitterly. He remembered Obi-Wan’s and his father’s nicknames during the Clone Wars: the Negotiator and the Hero with no Fear. _What nicknames has the Galaxy given me?_

He was glad when Leia finally sat down and began to speak.

“Now that we’ve all welcomed Luke Skywalker to the Resistance, we should give him an update on how the war is going, and where we stand.”

“We stand alone,” Admiral Ackbar said dramatically. “The Resistance will be making its last stand on this planet.”

“Not completely alone,” Admiral Statura said. “We do have some allies in this Galaxy, though not as many as we hoped.”

“Which allies?” Luke asked.

Statura counted them off on his fingers. ”Corellia, Kashyyyk, Dac, Garel, Haruun Kal, Sullust, and Yavin IV are fully with us, obviously. The First Order directly controls the Atterra and Otomok systems, so a few refugees have joined us, but we haven’t gotten any weapons, funding, or trained military personnel from there. We’ve sent messages to the Arkanis and Hapan systems, the Corporate Sector, and Coruscant and not gotten any response; we’re assuming they’re not interested. And Bespin--Lando supports us in secret.”

“Lando’s here too?” Luke said, shaking his head. How many other friends from the past had joined the Resistance? “What about the Naberries and Naboo?”

The officers all looked at one other in silence for a minute, before Leia said, “Naboo isn’t taking sides in this war.”

Luke reached back in his mind, to find his seven-year-old memories. “So Ryoo’s daughter—what was her name again?”

“Cordé.”

“Cordé—she didn’t get elected queen?”

“She was queen, but was forced to abdicate, right after the destruction of the Hosnian system,” Leia said. She rubbed her forehead wearily. “It was Bors Veruna who put the pressure on her, him and his party. They blamed her for the death of Naboo’s senators. So now his son Ran is king, and Naboo’s staying neutral.”

“Where’s Cordé now?”

Leia didn’t answer. Major Brance said, “We don’t know. We’ve been trying to contact her, with no luck.”

Something else to worry about. Luke cleared his throat and asked, “And the connection between you and the First Order?”

“Broken, thanks to Lando’s codebreaker,” Leia said with a thin smile.

“Good,” Luke said, sighing with relief. “Who was the codebreaker?”

“Duri-Jon Lakalo.”

Luke shrugged. “Never heard of him.”

“We hadn’t either, until Lando contacted him,” Leia said.

Admiral Ackbar, looking disgruntled, began, “His mother’s…” but his voice trailed off when Leia frowned at him.

“His mother’s what?” Luke asked.

Leia sighed, threw Ackbar an angry look, and said, “His mother is a First Order politician.”

_“What?”_ Luke gasped in horror. “How can you possibly trust him?”

“We don’t,” Leia said, “but that doesn’t mean he hasn’t been useful to us.”

“He’s been at odds with the rest of his family for years now,” Admiral Holdo added. “Calrissian offered him 20,000 credits to crack the code on the _Finalizer_. Plus, he threatened to tell Lady Lakalo her son’s become a Resistance supporter.”

“Admiral—” Leia said in a warning tone.

“Why hide anything from him, General? If not for a little trickery and a few underhanded dealings, we would have been wiped out by now.”

_Bribery and blackmail_ , Luke thought. _What’s happened to this Republic? Not that I have room to complain_. To keep out the memories of that night, he asked, “Where’s Lando now?”

“On Bespin,” General Ematt answered.

“Then he’s Baron Administrator of Cloud City again?”

“Yes. The man’s a wonder. Not only has he convinced the First Order he’s loyal to them, not only does he pass on First Order secrets to us, but he managed to set up this base for us.”

“A base for the Resistance, right in the middle of enemy territory.” Luke shook his head. He’d forgotten how complex politics and strategy could be.

“And it wasn’t just Lando who was in on the plan. Another old friend of yours has been working as a double agent on Bespin.” A sly look came into Leia’s eyes. “Do you remember Mara Jade?”

A painful yet pleasurable feeling seemed to fill Luke’s heart. “Yes.”

“Well, she’s been a tremendous help to the Resistance. She’s provided us with most of the funds we’ve needed for this war. She came to the Anoat sector three years ago, after her husband died.”

Luke’s heart was pounding so hard he could barely speak. “And—she’s—not seeing anyone?”

“Not that we’ve seen. But you’ll have to ask her yourself, to be sure.”

* * *

During the evening meal, Leia seemed distracted and troubled.

“Something wrong, Leia?” Admiral Holdo asked.

“A message from Lando,” Leia said. “No bad news for the Resistance. We’re still safe; Lakalo hasn’t broken his agreement. After the Convention in Coruscant, Athril Voy’s still leading in the polls.”

“A First-Order puppet,” growled Ackbar.

“All the candidates are puppets,” said Statura. “Besides, it could be worse. _Much_ worse.”

They seemed to have forgotten that something was bothering Leia. But Luke saw the frown that remained on her face, the reverie that she slipped into when she thought no one was looking, and the quick glances she shot across the room at Rey. Luke was determined to corner her and ask for the truth.

As it turned out, he didn’t need to. She took him back to her stateroom, commanded the door to lock, and faced him, with her arms crossed.

“What happened when you and Rey were on Coruscant?” she asked.

“Kylo Ren contacted her through the Force again,” Luke said, “and we just narrowly escaped a First Order ship.” He shook his head. “Just one TIE Boarding Craft. I still don’t know why they didn’t send more.”

“Well, you’re lucky they didn’t,” Leia said grimly. She motioned Luke to a chair in front of her holoprojector; Luke sat down, wondering. “Lando just sent us a copy of this recording.” She activated the projector, and a hologram of Hux appeared. “This was shown all over Coruscant two days ago.”

“ _Citizens of the Galaxy_ ,” Hux said, “ _a search has been instituted to apprehend a young, female, human terrorist. The girl, known only as ‘Rey,’ has ties to the Resistance and was involved in the destruction of Starkiller Base. Be warned: this so-called ‘Rey’ is an untrained Force user and will probably be armed.”_

Luke gazed at the hologram, feeling sick as Hux listed Rey’s physical characteristics and how to contact First Order intelligence. He felt Leia’s hand on his shoulder.

" _She is to be brought in_ alive and unharmed. _A 40-million credit reward will be offered to the citizen who reports her_ ,” Hux finished. The hologram faded.

“For some reason, they’ve put a ridiculously high price on Rey’s head,” Leia said. “Whatever happens, we can’t let her leave the Anoat sector.”

Luke felt lost, adrift, in need of comfort. “But travel between Burnin Konn and Bespin is safe?”

“Yes, as long as you know how to avoid the First-Order spies.”

“I want to go to Bespin,” Luke said. “I want to ask Lando for advice about Rey. And—and Mara.” His last words were almost a whisper.

Leia rubbed the back of his neck. “Mara might be more helpful on that front, since she can use the Force.”

Luke’s heart leaped even as his skin felt hot. He had no idea whether Leia knew about his feelings, but if she did, she was being discrete about it. Did she approve of his visit to Mara? It seemed like she did.

“Thanks, Leia,” he said, as neutrally as he could. “That’s a good idea.” Another idea flashed through his brain. “She might know something about Rey’s family that I missed. She might be able to give me some answers about them.”

There was a long pause, before Leia said, “She might. Are you taking Rey along with you?”

“No, not this time. I want—” Luke began, and stopped. He couldn’t think of any unselfish, sensible reason why he wanted to go to Bespin alone. The determination he’d displayed fifteen years ago, to remain celibate, devote himself to training Padawans, and toss Mara aside for the Jedi Order, seemed to be gone.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Cordé Naberrie, Bors Veruna, Ran Veruna, Duri-Jon Lakalo, Lady Lakalo, and Athril Voy are my original characters. They're minor ones, but they will be appearing later in the story.
> 
> All other characters and places are from the movies, Disney extended canon, or Legends canon.
> 
> The part about Leia dressing Luke up comes from Mark Hamill saying Carrie Fisher used to dress him up on the set of the Star Wars movies. The part about Luke brushing Leia's hair I cribbed from Love, Ahch-To-ally by Punxutawney, where in one chapter, Luke jokes that he became Leia's personal hairdresser.
> 
> Comments, please?


	8. Cloud City

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which Luke meets Mara Jade for the first time in fifteen years and Lando Calrissian for the first time in seven years.

A Resistance pilot flew Luke to Bespin. The flight was completely silent; the pilot didn’t make any comments, except for remarking on the absence of First Order Ships, and Luke didn’t feel like talking.

He was remembering Mara Jade, as he’d seen her more than a hundred different times: practicing Makashi, her lightsaber a blur, her red hair streaming around her; knocking him flat on his back during a training session and letting out that rich, full-bodied laugh that used to stir his blood; naked in his arms, her green eyes burning into his; smiling at him; making wry comments; laughing at the Jedi— _she_ was never bothered by the rules of the Jedi Order, or by any rules, for that matter. She had a personality larger than life, passion in everything she did that communicated itself to Luke.

Perhaps that was what had bothered Luke and why he’d decided to follow part of the Jedi Code to the letter: _there is no passion, there is serenity._

When he’d told her his decision, her fury had surprised even him. Forgetting the little training Luke had given her, she had allowed herself to rage at him. Not that her anger was childish or unreasonable; if it had been, Luke could have borne it better. She never called him names, cursed him, or attacked him physically. She only fiercely told him her opinions of his behavior and the Jedi Order, opinions which made him uncomfortable because they had grains of truth in them. Maybe he really was _running away because he was afraid_ , maybe the Jedi Code really was _an idiotic set of rules that dragged the Jedi down_. But when he’d started training his students, he had dismissed the words from his mind. And later, when he heard that Mara had married someone else, he tried to tell himself he was relieved that she hadn’t been unhappy long.

_She was right. She used strong words, but she was right._ Luke only hoped she could forgive him. _And if she does, maybe…no, no._ It would be enough if she forgave him; he wouldn’t hope for anything else.

He directed the pilot where to land, found the address Leia had given him, absentmindedly. He rode up to the top floor of the apartment building where she lived, mind entirely occupied with Mara as she’d been fifteen years ago. He wondered what she would say. Leia had contacted her and told her about him, and she’d agreed to see him: was that a good sign? How had she reacted when she heard he’d returned?

Mara answered her own door when he rang, and the picture of her in his mind was swept away. He stood still, shocked and a little disappointed. Her hair was gray now, and there were lines in her face, crows’ feet around her green eyes. Under her heavy blue robe, her figure seemed stouter. Luke hadn’t expected her to look so old.

But he reproved himself. Of course, Mara would have grown old. It had been fifteen years, and hadn’t he grown old himself? He glanced at her face and saw that her eyes were narrowed and her lips were pursed together, as she studied his face. Had she read his mind? Or was she disappointed with him?

The silence grew awkward. Luke had to break it. “It’s been a long time,” he croaked. _Oh, good job. Really smooth_.

Mara smiled wryly. “Fifteen years. Nice to see you again, Luke.” She waved her hand; the door slid open wider. “Come in.”

Neither of them spoke while she led him into a living room and sat down, pointing out a chair for him. Luke sat gingerly on the edge of his seat. He didn’t remember Mara being so—sedate. Calm. It seemed she wasn’t angry at him now, and yet why was it somewhat disappointing?

“When Leia told me you’d come back, I almost didn’t believe it,” said Mara. “I heard about your Jedi Academy on Yavin IV. And then after that—after what happened, you just dropped off the radar. You vanished.”

“I may as well have,” Luke said, eyes darting uneasily around the room. Mara didn’t seem to be feeling any of his anxiety or awkwardness.

“Where _did_ you go?” Mara leaned forward, her hands on her knees and her eyes bright with curiosity.

“Ahch-To.”

“Sorry; where?”

“Ahch-To. Birthplace of the Jedi.”

“Ah.” Mara nodded. “Off to meditate, maybe find answers in the ancient books, huh? That was like you; I should have guessed.” She smiled fondly at him. “Did you find answers? Anything that’ll help us stop Darth Tan—Kylo Ren?”

Luke looked at the floor, his ears and neck burning. Once, Mara’s lighthearted tone and smile would have made his heart beat faster in happiness and longing. Now, they made him squirm with guilt, reminding him of how he’d failed. _One stab would end it_ … _Ben woke up_ … _Luke Skywalker is skulking here like a coward_ …

“Luke?” Mara’s voice sounded worried; there was no levity now. “Are you okay? Did I say something wrong?”

Luke looked up, feeling his eyes grow wet. Mara must have seen his tears, for her eyes widened. “Oh, Force, Luke, I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have reminded you of it.” She reached out and touched his hand. “Kriff, I’ve been a witch.”

“It’s okay,” Luke said, blinking away the tears. “I was—bad memories.”

“I get it.” Mara patted his hand gently. “I was horrified when I heard; Sith, I’m still horrified when I think about it. I can’t imagine what you’ve been going through.” She removed her hand and smoothed the skirt of her robe. “I am glad you’re back, but I’m sorry it had to happen like this.”

Now he had to say it. Luke took a deep breath. “I’m sorry for what I did to you.”

“What you did to me?” Mara looked surprised.

“Leaving you.”

“Leaving me? Oh, you mean fifteen years ago?” Mara frowned, looking puzzled. “Why apologize for that?”

“Because I hurt you,” Luke said. “You were right to get angry at me.”

“It’s okay,” Mara said. “I’m not angry now, after all.”

“But I dumped you, I threw you aside for the Jedi Order…”  

“Luke, _it’s okay.”_

“But I was horrible to you.”

“And you think I never got over it?” Mara shook her head. “Luke, I married Cerus. I had a happy life with him. Does that sound like I never got over it?”

“You—had a happy life with him?”

“Of course, I did. What, did you think I married Cerus out of _spite_ , since I couldn’t marry you?” Mara had a comical expression on her face, of disbelief and annoyance mixed with amusement. “Did you think I was pining for you for fifteen years? Not that you’re not worth pining over.”

“I—don’t know.” When put like that, Luke’s guilty feelings did seem foolish. And yet…

“You always did have an outrageously guilty conscience,” Mara shook her head again and took his hand again. Her smile was half-sympathetic, half-mocking. “You never did bounce back from mistakes like I did. But let me tell you right now: this is _not_ something you should feel guilty over. I got over you; I fell in love with Cerus. We had a long, happy life together. Now, I’m just a kindly old grandma boring people to tears about her kids and grandkids…”

“You had kids and grandkids?”

“Three kids; one grandkid so far.”

Luke suddenly had a new idea. “Any Force-sensitive children?”

“None, unless someone cloned me without my knowledge,” Mara said. “They got their dad’s genes. Why? Are you going to restart your Academy?”

“No.” Luke hesitated a moment, but his curiosity about Rey decided him. He continued, “Did Leia tell you how I came back? How the Resistance found me?”

“She told me about the map. I just figured she sent a squadron of flyboys, or Chewie, to escort you back.”

“There’s a Force-sensitive girl with the Resistance now. Leia sent _her_ to find me. I’d never seen her before in my life, but she’s as strong in the Force as I am. Stars, she’s as strong as my father was, or my—Kylo Ren.”

“A mysterious Force-user, huh?” Mara’s eyes lit up. “I’m liking this already; it’s like a holo show. Go on.”

“For some reason, I never knew she existed before she found me. That’s what’s bothering me now. With someone that strong, there should have been a major disturbance in the Force when she was born, but I never felt it. I’ve checked the Archives at the Jedi Temple; there’s nothing linking her to any of my students or their families. She’s from Jakku; I haven’t found any records of Force-sensitives on or near Jakku. For anything I know, she just appeared out of nowhere…”

Luke’s voice trailed off. A new, horrifying thought had just occurred to him. He remembered meeting the Force ghost of Qui-Gon Jinn, and what the Jedi Master had shown him about Luke’s father and grandmother.

_“There was no father. I carried him, I gave birth, I raised him. I can’t explain what happened.”_

“How old is this girl?” Mara asked.

Luke pulled his thoughts back to the present. “Nineteen, or close to it.”

“Then Palpatine died long before she was born,” Mara said, sounding relieved. “No fatherless conception this time.”

“But what if someone else knows how to…” Luke couldn’t even say it. His mind recoiled from associating Rey with it. “Snoke, or Kylo Ren?”

“Where would they have learned it? Anyway, you know as well as I do Ren doesn’t have the discipline to even learn that kind of ability, let alone use it.”

“And Snoke?”

Mara threw up her hands. “I don’t know any more about Snoke than Leia or the rest of the Resistance do. I was hoping you’d found some answers for us.”

“I know just as little as you do,” Luke said. “I must have been looking for all the wrong answers.”

There was silence for a while. Mara spoke first, and her voice was cheerful again. “I’d like to meet your mysterious Force-sensitive. What’s her name?”

“Rey.”

“Wait…is this the same Rey that Hux has been blathering about? The one they’re calling a terrorist, the one with the stupidly-high price on her head?”

Luke only nodded.

Mara whistled. “Now I _really_ want to meet her. Anyone who gets a 40-million-credit price on her head before age twenty is someone worth knowing. Hope you brought her with you; is she going to make a grand entrance?”

“No, she’s with the Resistance on Burnin Konn.”

“That’s a shame. Not that she’s with the Resistance, but that you didn’t bring her over here to introduce me.” Mara stood up. “Well, bring her over next time. In the meantime, I’m having dinner with Lando this evening, and I bet he’d like to hear about her too.”

“I shouldn’t stay,” Luke said, fidgeting uneasily. “I should get back to Burnin Konn…”

“No, no, you should definitely stay. You’re not going to refuse to meet Lando again, are you? Not after all these years?”

“Well…”

“He’s anxious to see you again. Besides, we’ve invited some potential donors to the Resistance, and Lando and I will need you there for moral support.” Mara shook her head. “Some casino mogul from Canto Bight, and the heir to the Hapes Consortium. You’ll make things ten times less boring just sitting across from them.”

Luke made one last, feeble excuse. “It’s been ages since I’ve eaten with anybody, let alone royalty. My manners are really rusty.”

“All the more reason why I want you there,” Mara said with a grin.

* * *

It was ridiculous, Luke thought, as he and Mara were flown to the palace of the Baron Administrator. Mara had forgiven him, as he’d hoped. He should not feel as let down as he did. But he had to admit it: he’d been hoping that some remnants of their previous love for each other would remain. It seemed to be gone now, in both him and her. His awkwardness and discomfort had not faded, even though after talking with her for a while, he was starting to relax. And Mara didn’t seem to regard him as anything closer than a friend.

But his anxiety about the upcoming dinner was worse. He had hoped to meet Lando on Burnin Konn, with Leia nearby, surrounded by Poe Dameron and the other pilots. Instead, he was going to be meeting him in the presence of strangers. Would any of them ask Luke about his past, about what had happened that night? What would he say if they did? He’d never been good at polite lying, and now he was completely out of practice. What if the memories came back to him? Would Lando and Mara somehow learn the truth?

Over and over again, these questions and worries whirled in his head, as the speeder stopped at the palace, as he and Mara were ushered inside, as they met Lando in the reception room.

“Mara!” Lando said, coming towards her. He kissed her hand. “You get prettier every day.”

“And _you_ get worse at lying every day,” Mara said, smiling. “Take a look at who I’ve brought with me.”

Lando let go of Mara’s hand and grinned. “Ah, yes; he’s back from the dead. Welcome, Jedi Master Skywalker,” he said, with a mocking bow.

Luke cringed. “I’m not a Jedi Master now.”

“Doesn’t matter to me; I’m still glad to see you,” Lando said. He suddenly pulled Luke into a tight bear hug, squeezing the breath out of him. “Kriff, you old man; where’ve you _been_ all this time?”

“Ahch-to,” Luke mumbled into Lando’s shoulder. He heard a snicker from behind him; Mara was evidently enjoying this. “Did—did Leia talk to you?”

“She let me know the same day you arrived, buddy. I’ve been waiting for you to drop in. You picked the perfect time, too.” Lando let go of Luke, who felt like he could breathe again. “She gave me the news about…” His voice trailed off, and his face fell.

“He—he tried to bring Kylo Ren back,” Luke said hoarsely, around the lump in his throat. “On Starkiller Base.”

“That damn fool! Why did he even try? Why couldn’t he leave the little monster alone?” Lando said fiercely. “He just couldn’t give up on him, could he?”

“He was his son,” Luke said.

“It was still a stupid idea. After everything he’d done…killed the Jedi, drove Han away, turned on his own parents…” Lando choked and turned away. Luke looked away and glanced at Mara, who was fidgeting uncomfortably.

“I remember the kid,” Lando continued. “He was a great kid, a nice kid. Why’d he have to be born using the Force anyway?”

Neither Luke nor Mara answered. Lando went on, in a brisker tone. “Well, we can talk about it when we’re alone. Right now, we’ve got dinner guests waiting for us.”

He turned and strode into a dining room, followed by Luke and Mara. Three other people were sitting at the table, all humans. There was a tall man with thinning gray hair, dressed in a crimson robe with elaborate gold embroidery. A young, black-haired, fair-skinned woman in a pink gown sat next to him. On her other side was a handsome, young, blond man dressed in the odd clothing of the Hapans: silver circlet with a black veil attached, black silk half-cloak, and bare chest and arms.

“Luke, I’d like to introduce you to our special guests. This is Maric Lonto...” pointing to the man in the red robe, “…his daughter, Jena...” indicating the girl, “…and Prince Isolder, of the Hapes Consortium,” waving a hand in the blond man’s direction.

“Chume’da,” the young man said. “Chume’da of the Hapes Consortium.”

“Chume’da of the Hapes Consortium,” said Lando, winking at Luke. He turned back to the guests. “Anyway, _this_ …” he clapped Luke hard on the shoulder. “…is Jedi Master Luke Skywalker.”

Luke almost protested being called a Jedi Master again, but stopped when he saw that the guests didn’t seem to care. Maric Lonto waved to him lazily, Jena gave him a cool nod, and Isolder just stared at him with a puzzled-looking frown.

As it turned out, Luke needn’t have worried earlier: he wasn’t asked about the past. In fact, he was barely asked anything at all during dinner. Mara and Lando talked about him: the faith the Galaxy still had in him, his timely return from exile, and the difference his strength in the Force would make to the Resistance’s cause. Luke felt as if he were being advertised. As the dinner progressed, he realized that the _Resistance_ was being advertised; he was just its stylish new feature. The reduction of Leia’s cause and the last hope of the Republic to a commodity bothered him, but not as much as the guests’ lack of interest did.

“Jedi, Sith, who cares?” Jena said airily. “They were always having some big fight or other, weren’t they, Master Skywalker?” Without waiting for an answer, she continued, “I never get involved in religion or politics. Life’s too short to be so uptight about this stuff; it doesn’t even matter in the long run.”

“Jena...” Lonto said, with a frown.

Jena blushed. “Well, okay, but _that_ happened, like, thirty years ago. I wasn’t even born yet; you can’t expect me to keep track of that kind of stuff.”

“Kids today,” said Lonto, glancing in exasperation at Lando and then in fondness at his daughter. “They’ll never have the chance to learn the lessons we old people did.”

“Like standing up for what’s right, no matter what the cost?” Mara suggested.

Lonto snorted with laughter. “Good one. No, no, I meant caution. Playing by the rules and keeping your head down. _Surviving_.”

“Oh, of course,” Mara said. Her lips curled in contempt, but Lonto didn’t seem to notice.

“We Lontos have outlived the Clone Wars and the Empire, and we’ll outlive the First Order too,” he went on. “Meanwhile, look at those poor bastards on Alderaan and in the Hosnian System. Look at the Jedi.”

“My sister is from Alderaan,” Luke snapped.

“Oh, right! You’re Princess Leia’s brother; I forgot that!” Prince Isolder said suddenly. No one paid attention.

“Are you suggesting the Alderaanians and Hosnians were _asking_ to be murdered?” Luke continued, clenching his fists under the table.

“Well, obviously, no one _asks_ to be murdered,” said Lonto. “But if you start a rebellion, it’s _obviously_ going to be put down. If you start terrorizing people, the government has to do _something_ about it.” He smiled patronizingly. “I didn’t mean any offense to your sister, Master Skywalker; I’m just stating facts.”

Before Luke could say anything, Jena spoke up. “At least this time, you can kind of sympathize with the rebels. I mean, how are we supposed to take Kylo Ren seriously? There’s a reason why everybody calls him Darth Tantrum. He’s pathetic.” She giggled and nudged Isolder, who smiled vacantly at her.

“Kylo Ren may throw tantrums, but he’s also got the entire First Order behind him,” Lando said dryly. “I don’t think the Hosnians ever described him as ‘pathetic.’”

“Well, they were terrorists, weren’t they? The First Order was just doing what they had to do.”

“They were the last remnants of the Republic! They were _murdered_ in cold blood!” Luke said fiercely, slamming his hand on the table. Plates and cutlery rattled; Isolder jumped. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Mara grinning at him proudly.

Lonto stared at him, his eyes narrowed. “You’ve picked an interesting time to show righteous anger, Master Skywalker. After being gone for—what was it, ten years? I would have thought you’d be fighting beside your sister during that time, not cowering in the Unknown Regions somewhere.”

_Luke Skywalker is skulking here like a coward_. Luke’s anger vanished as a sick feeling filled his heart and stomach and his face heated up in shame.

“Well, that’s in the past now,” Mara said lightly. “Luke is back, and he has a new apprentice now.”

Lando set down his knife and fork and stared at Mara, then at Luke. “Does he?” asked Lonto, with a yawn.

“Oh, yes. Rey. You may recognize the name.”

Lonto sat straight up in his chair. “Rey! The terrorist?”

“The one with the price on her head?” Jena asked, her eyes wide.

“The very same,” Mara said. “Does joining the Resistance sound more interesting now?”

“Is this some kind of joke?” Lonto said sharply.

Mara nodded. “I guessed what _your_ feelings about it would be, Maric. What about you, Jena?”

“Well, I don’t know if I’d join myself, but I applaud this Rey for what she’s doing,” Jena said with a laugh. “She snapped her fingers under Darth Tantrum’s nose and got away with it! She’s my new hero now!”

“Is she pretty and smart?” Isolder asked.

“Oh, who cares about that?” Jena said, rolling her eyes. “I’d love to see a fight between her and Darth Tantrum. Even better, I’d love to see her win.”

“So would I,” Mara said, lifting her wineglass. “So, I propose a toast. Everyone, raise your glasses to Rey the Terrorist!”

Lando and Jena lifted their own glasses. “Rey the Terrorist!”

Luke leapt up from the table, knocking over his chair, and strode out of the room. His heart was beating fast; he thought he might have used the Force against somebody if he’d stayed. Or not bothered with the Force and hit somebody.

He made his way into a hall with a window looking out over Cloud City. Night had fallen, and the lights were twinkling through the blackness. Luke leaned his forehead on the cool surface of the window and breathed deeply. It was quiet at last; he shut his eyes and listened to the silence, without thinking.

“Luke?” It was Lando’s voice. Luke turned around to face him.

“Horrible, isn’t it?” Lando said, looking at him sympathetically. “I had to stop myself from punching the scum the first time I listened to ‘em. I’ve gotten used to it by now, but it took me a while.”

“Why?” Luke asked.

“Money,” Lando answered. “Money, equipment, men, weapons, whatever the Resistance needs. Mara and I have flattered and coaxed money out of a lot of donors over the past few years. Lonto’s harder to convince than most, but maybe if his daughter weighs in on it…” He stepped to the window and looked out at the lit-up city. “I’m sorry about dragging you and your apprentice into the mess, but you’re still a hero to a lot of the Galaxy, no matter what they say about _surviving_. And after Hux’s announcement, Rey’s name is pretty famous too.” Lando looked at him. “What does the First Order want with her, anyway?”

“I have no idea,” Luke said helplessly. “She may as well have appeared out of nowhere. She doesn’t have any family, any history, or any connection to the Jedi.”

“Hmmm…sorta like Snoke, in a way. Well, at least with Rey, there’s always DNA testing. Though she’d have to be related to someone pretty famous to get such a high price on her head.” Lando put his hands in his pockets and slowly walked away from the window. “Not even Kylo Ren’s petty enough to put a forty-million-credit price on someone’s head, just because they escaped him.”

The horrible suspicion about Rey’s origin appeared in Luke’s mind again. “You were mentioning Snoke,” he said, to drive away the thought. “Do you know anything about him?”

“Nope. And believe me, I’ve done my research. There isn’t anything on record about him until he pops up after the Battle of Borosk, ten years ago.”

“He must have been around long before that,” Luke said.

“Leia says so too. Well, you two are the Force-sensitives, so I trust you on this, though I don’t know where he was hiding all this time.”

“The Unknown Regions.”

“Maybe. If it was even him pulling the strings behind the rise of the First Order. He would have had to do a lot of traveling in that time; you’d think someone would have picked up on him.”

“True.” Snoke had to have been the real mastermind behind the major battles with the Imperial Remnant in the last thirty years; he and Leia had agreed on that. But how _had_ he directed everything from the Unknown Regions, and why _hadn’t_ anyone noticed him before the Battle of Borosk?

“Do you have the statistics from the major Imperial Remnant battles?” Luke asked.

“Yeah. I can send you a copy if you want, but you won’t find anything about Snoke or the Unknown Regions there.”

“I want to look for patterns. There may be something we’re missing.”

“Okay. Hope you find something; I feel like we’re fighting an uphill battle.” Lando turned to go. “Oh, and bring Rey over here next time you come, won’t you? Convince her to get a DNA test. Now I’m curious to find out who she’s related to.”

Luke returned a noncommittal answer. He heard Lando’s retreating footsteps but paid no attention, staring out the window. Everything was leading back to Rey. There hadn’t been such a universal commotion over a Force-sensitive since his father had been found on Tatooine. Did that mean Rey was another Chosen One? Hopefully not; the Galaxy didn’t need any more Chosen Ones, especially Chosen Ones who weren’t born, but _created_.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> No, I'm not dead. I was having a hard time over the last three months and was stuck in a rut on this chapter.
> 
> Background information comes from Wookiepedia. Since I'm not that familiar with Mara Jade, my ideas of how old!Mara would behave are all guesswork. Maric Lonto and Jena Lonto are my original characters, though loosely based on characters from "Little Dorrit".
> 
> The original scene of the hero meeting his old love interest in "Little Dorrit" was played more for comedy and was actually pretty sexist and gross. In a nutshell, the middle-aged hero is shocked and appalled that his old fiancee actually had the nerve to age and not look like a teenager anymore! Horrors! Naturally, she's still smitten with the hero and is portrayed as a silly, embarrassing airhead who doesn't act her age. To make matters worse, this part of the book was actually based on Charles Dickens' actual meeting with his old sweetheart, and when you consider that he left his wife for an 18-year-old actress two years later...yeah. Naturally, I didn't want to portray Mara as a clingy airhead or Luke as a sexist, shallow pig, so my version of the scene played a little differently.
> 
> The portrayal of Prince Isolder is, admittedly, a spiteful reaction to the old EU book, "The Courtship of Princess Leia," which I hated. Basically, Leia gets involved in a Twilight-style love triangle with Han and Prince Isolder, who, in the book, is a terrible Gary Stu. He's filthy rich, his looks are described in vomit-inducing purple prose, everyone admires him, Leia actually falls in love with him, and even Han feels inferior to him. If Stephenie Meyer wrote a Star Wars fanfic, "The Courtship of Princess Leia" is what we'd probably get.


	9. Close-Minded

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which Rey's first training session with Luke is a disaster, and Leia talks some sense into Luke.

But the idea of Rey being a Chosen One made a disturbing amount of sense. Her strength in the Force, her lack of a family, the similarities between her past and his father’s…he had to suppress a shudder.

Would his father have fallen, if the Jedi hadn’t trumpeted his destiny so loudly? Would Darth Sidious have taken an interest in him? Luke had tortured himself with these questions in the past, and now they came back, stronger than ever.

 _This is why Snoke and Kylo Ren are interested in Rey_. He broke out in a cold sweat at the thought. _They’re trying to turn her to the Dark Side, the way Darth Sidious turned my father._ Except why would the Sith need a Chosen One now, with all the Jedi dead except Luke? Still, with Rey’s strength in the Force, she could be a powerful ally…maybe they wanted to make her a Knight of Ren.

 _Kylo Ren will tell Rey what I did._ The sharpness of the pain he felt surprised him. _She can’t know…any more than Leia or Chewie can know._ But his worry that Rey would find out the truth was soon swallowed up by stronger fears. He felt crushed by the same weight he’d felt years ago, when he had those visions. The same panic seemed to be pumping through his veins. _It’s going to happen again…not again…not the Empire again…no, no! Wasn’t Kylo Ren’s fall enough? Wasn’t_ my _fall enough? Now there’s another Chosen One, another Force-user turning to the Dark Side?_

He’d been right the first time; he should never have left Ahch-To. A pang of resentment against Rey swelled up in him. _I won’t train another padawan._ It was the last bit of defiance he could cast in the teeth of Snoke and the Dark Side. _I won’t train another Sith_.

Luke repeated his resolution like a mantra, all the way back to Burnin Konn. _I will not train another padawan._ It was still echoing in his head when he returned to Konn-Nevos spaceport, strode to his room, brushed off the surrounding pilots with a brusque comment or two, deliberately turning his back on Rey, when he saw her eyes light up.

He sat on the floor in his room and commanded the door to lock. _I won’t train a Chosen One._ He remembered Rey’s hurt and anger at him, back on Ahch-To, and felt slightly guilty. It felt like he was being deliberately cruel to a child. But his fear and his determination were stronger. _She’ll get over it. She’ll have to._

* * *

“Master Skywalker?” Rey called, knocking on the door. For a minute, she was afraid Luke was trying to shut her out, as he did back on Ahch-To. But he answered the door immediately.

“What?” he said flatly. Rey’s heart sank as she looked at his face. It was as grim and sullen as it had been when she’d first met him. He was looking at her without any warmth in his eyes.

“Master Skywalker, why are you avoiding me?” As soon as the words were out of her mouth, she winced; it sounded pathetic and accusatory at the same time.

“I’m not avoiding you,” Luke said. “I’m talking to you now, aren’t I?”

“That’s not what I meant,” Rey said, frustrated. _You haven’t talked to me for a week. It’s like you don’t know I exist anymore_. Stars, even in her head, it sounded needy and whiny.

“I get it,” Luke said gruffly. “You want me to train you, right? You’ve been thinking that as soon as we got here, I’d start giving you lessons.”

“Er…yeah.” Well, that was partly true.

“Well, come in,” Luke said, stepping away from the door. “I’ll give you a few lessons on the Force…”

Rey smiled.

“…and why it’s time for the Jedi to end.”

 _What?_ Rey was shocked. “But I thought…why…”

“Do you know what the Force is?” Luke sat cross-legged on the floor next to his bed and looked at her expectantly.

Where was he going with this? Was it a test? “It’s a power the Jedi have that lets them control people, make things float—” Rey saw Luke’s face twist in disgust. “What? Did I say something wrong?”

“Yep. Every word in that sentence was wrong.”

“But—”

Luke pointed to the floor in front of him. “Sit here. We’ll have to start from the very beginning.”

Rey slowly obeyed. What was going on? Was Luke _annoyed_ with her for not knowing about the Force? But how could she know, since no one had taught her?

Luke sat down beside her. “The Force is not a power; it’s not about lifting rocks,” he said. There was no trace of a smile on his face; he looked both tired and wary. “It’s the energy between us all; it’s a tension, a balance, a bonding, that holds the universe together.”

“Okay…” Rey said uncertainly. “But what is it?”

“Close your eyes,” Luke said. Rey did. “Now, reach out,” Luke continued. She stretched out her hand, wondering if Luke was going to hold her hand to guide her in using the Force.

“Not with your hand!” Luke said, sounding exasperated. “Use your mind, your _feelings_.”

Rey’s face burned, and she dropped her hand. Luke hadn’t said _You little fool_ , but he might as well have. She squirmed resentfully. She wasn’t stupid; Luke had no right to treat her like she was…

“I’m sorry,” Luke said in a much gentler voice. “I’m sorry; I keep forgetting you were—I’m sorry. Hey…open your eyes, okay?”

Rey did, glaring at Luke, who was looking at her without the annoyance in his face. Tears pricked at her eyes, as she said bitterly, “If you don’t want to train me, why not just say so?”

Luke looked flustered. “I didn’t say--”

“You didn’t have to,” Rey said. “I _saw_ you; I’m not stupid. _I’m not stupid_. You don’t want to do this; you look like—like everyone at Niima Outpost looked! They always looked down on me because I was a scavenger…they treated me like I was useless and worthless…”

“Rey, calm down. _Calm down_.” Luke held up his hands. “You’re imagining things—”

“ _I am not imagining!_ I’m not crazy!” Rey raged. She remembered Kylo Ren appearing on Ahch-To and Coruscant. She angrily wiped her eyes on her sleeve. “Just _tell_ me why you’re angry with me! What did I ever do to you?”

“Nothing!” Luke’s voice had grown louder. “You didn’t do anything, and I’m not angry with you. Trust me; I’m not. I’m scared.”

The word broke through Rey’s anger. “Scared? Of me?”

There was a long silence. Luke finally said, “Not of you, of your Force potential and strength.”

“Why?”

“I’ve seen this raw strength only once before: in Kylo Ren. It didn’t scare me enough then; it does now.”

“But you weren’t scared before!” Rey’s voice sounded shrill in her ears. “You said what Kylo Ren did to me…it wasn’t my fault…and you thought…you thought…”

“What?”

Rey’s face grew warm, and she fell silent. She bowed her head and let tears drop into her lap. This time, she didn’t care about hiding them.

“I’m sorry I hurt your feelings,” Luke said softly.

“You didn’t just…” Rey began, but stopped. _Hurt your feelings_. Like she was a little kid. Like she hadn’t had to deal with worse problems her whole life.

“We’ll continue training when you calm down, okay?”

Luke’s gentle voice caught at Rey’s heart, but his words maddened her. He was _patronizing_ her now, he wasn’t taking her seriously, he didn’t care. She stood up shakily and walked out of Luke’s room. She walked stiffly down the hall to the dormitory she shared with the Resistance pilots, which turned out to be empty, thankfully. Now she could throw herself down on her bunk and sob. She squeezed her hands into fists, furious at herself, but not as angry as she was with Luke. What was wrong with him? Why was he acting like this?

There was a knock on the door. Rey tried to sob more quietly; no one in the Resistance was going to see or hear her bawling like a baby. She burrowed her face into the pillow, holding her breath and trying to ignore the knocking.

“Rey?” It was Finn’s voice. “Rey, could you open the door?”

“Nothing’s wrong!” Rey choked out. “Go away!”

There was more knocking. “Sorry, Rey, but I really need to use the fresher.”

 _Oh._ Hot all over with embarrassment, Rey signaled the door to open. Finn stepped into the room, frowning at her.

“What’s wrong?” he asked.

“I told you: nothing.” Rey had better control of her voice this time.

“Then why are you crying?”

Rey glared at him and was about to snap something, but she thought better of it when she saw his face. He actually looked confused; he was honestly wondering how things could be all right when she was crying. She remembered his upbringing, his time as a Stormtrooper, and felt a little ashamed.

She took a deep breath. “Luke doesn’t want to train me. He doesn’t want to even _see_ me!”

“What?” Finn walked over to her. “That’s crazy. Why?”

“I don’t know. First he was avoiding me, then he was treating me like I was stupid, and…”

 _“What?”_ Finn said. “How could he be such a jerk?”

“I don’t know,” Rey said again, “but then he said something that didn’t make sense. He said he was scared of my strength in the Force, said I reminded him of that—that monster…” She buried her face in the pillow as the tears started to come back.

“Well, he must have gone insane,” Finn said indignantly. “Why would a Jedi be scared of the Force? And how could you remind him of Kylo Ren? You’re nothing like Ren.”

“I don’t know,” she sobbed for the third time. She felt a tentative hand on her shoulder, patting her gently. After Luke’s cruel treatment, Finn’s presence was especially sweet and soothing. She sat up, hugged him, and laid her head down on his shoulder. His arms came up around her, and he continued to pat her on the back.

“I can’t believe he’s treating you like this,” Finn said. “And after you took all that trouble to bring him back, too. How could he be so cruel?”

Rey’s sobs were lessening. She felt dull and sleepy; her thoughts drifted. The memory of Kylo Ren contacting her through the Force came into her head, bringing fear and disgust with it. Maybe that was why Luke said she was like Ren…but earlier, he’d said it wasn’t her fault.

“Are you feeling any better?” Finn asked.

"Much better,” she said. She considered telling Finn about Kylo Ren, but decided against it. She didn’t want to think about it; it made her stomach churn. She regretted telling Luke about it. After all, it wasn’t like he was going to help her.

* * *

Leia stormed into Luke’s room. He’d forgotten to lock the door.

“What was that?” Leia demanded, standing in front of him with a glare on her face.

“Sorry?”

“I mean it, Luke. _What was that?_ Why did you say all that to Rey?”

Luke took a deep breath, stood up, and indicated a chair for her. “When I met Mara and Lando on Bespin last week, I had a bad feeling about Rey’s origins. I don’t know if it’s true or not…”

“You had a _feeling?_ About her _origins_?” Leia shook her head, looking as fierce as ever. “This from the man who forgave Darth Vader for everything he’d done to the Galaxy, and everything he’d done to us? _Now_ you’re turning away Rey, because you’re _afraid of her origins?”_

“Because she may have been born the same way our father was!” Luke blurted, more sharply than he’d intended.

“You mean…” Leia’s eyes widened, and her voice trailed off. Luke watched her swallow and sit down. “What makes you think so?” she asked in a hoarse voice.

Luke told Leia what he’d told Mara the week before. When he was finished, Leia looked even more skeptical than Mara had, and much angrier.

“That’s some damned flimsy evidence to go on. You don’t know who her parents were, or where she was born, so she was conceived by the Force? Is that what you’re saying?”

“I’m not sure if it’s true,” Luke said, “but…”

“If you’re not sure, _why are you treating Rey like it is?”_ Leia’s voice rose again. “She ran out of here in tears just now! Kriff, Luke, not even the old Jedi Council acted as close-minded as you!”

Her words stung Luke. _Close-minded? I’m not close-minded; I’m being cautious_. He wished he hadn’t shown Leia his father’s and Ben Kenobi’s memories of the old Jedi Council. “I’ll be honest with you, Leia; it’s not Rey, it’s me. I’m scared to death of training a Chosen One. Kriff, I’m scared of a Chosen One, period.” _She has to understand that._

Leia shifted in her seat. “Even if Rey is a Chosen One, what difference does that make?”

“What?” Luke wasn’t sure he’d heard right.

“I said, what difference does it make? Do you really think she’ll turn to the Dark Side?”

“Kylo Ren has been contacting her…”

“She watched Kylo Ren murder Han! _He_ _forced himself into her mind!_ Why would she choose to join him?”

“But if he manipulated her…tempted her with something…”

" _Has_ he tempted her with anything?” Leia crossed her arms. “What has he said to her?”

“I don’t know,” Luke said. “I haven’t seen or heard him when he’s talked to her.”

“Did you at least _ask_ her what he said?”

Luke scratched his chin, feeling foolish. “No,” he admitted. “I told her to fight him, but…I just told her to fight him off.” _I don’t want to know what he said to her. Force help me, I don’t want to know._

Leia shook her head. “And you wondered why I never wanted to join the Jedi. ‘Anakin has too many uncontrollable emotions to train. But he’s the Chosen One who could bring balance to the Force! Anakin, we want you to spy on Palpatine. But Palpatine is evil!’ Back and forth, mixed messages, nonsense about fate and destiny and good and evil, and _never seeing what’s right in front of them_.”

“I was always straightforward with my students. I _did_ see what was in front of me,” Luke protested.

“Then _why aren’t you doing it now?_ Rey is a good person and a loyal supporter of the Resistance. What does her ancestry matter?

“But people can start out good and…”

“Turn to the Dark Side, yes.” Leia sighed in exasperation. “Who knows that better than I do?”

“I know; I’m sorry,” Luke said, wanting to hit himself. “But Chosen Ones…well, they’re more vulnerable, because of their…uh…” _Don’t say destiny!_ “...status,” he finished lamely.

“If that’s true about Rey, all the more reason why you should help her instead of pushing her away.” Leia stood up. There was determination in every line of her face. “You brought our father back from the Dark Side. Did you ever think you could save someone _before_ they fell?”

“It didn’t work with Kylo Ren,” Luke said, but he was surprised at Leia. Usually she referred to their father as _Darth Vader_ ; she rarely acknowledged their relationship.

“Rey is not Kylo Ren. Talk to her, Luke. Try to see her as a person instead of a Chosen One.”

She left Luke alone with his thoughts. He felt helpless, adrift, with no idea what to do next. Was it possible to see Rey as a person and not a Chosen One? More importantly, was it right? Shouldn’t he guard his behavior extra closely, in case he failed again?

He could ask for help and answers to his questions…if he dared.

_Not the Empire again…_

_Ben woke up…_

_Over 20,000…_

_There was no father…_

Luke accessed the Force. As the power flowed into him, he was hyper-aware of his sweating palms, thumping heart, and quickening breath. He had to ask for answers; it was either that or fall back into helplessness again, the helplessness of seven years ago.

“Ben?” he whispered, using the name he never used anymore for his nephew. “Father? Are you there?”

For a moment, there was silence, before a familiar voice spoke.

“Hello, Luke. Long time, no see.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yep, there was another delay, sorry. This time, it was because I got the job I've always wanted! I'm so happy and so thankful. So I just started work and moved to a new town, which naturally left me no time for writing.
> 
> Everything Star-Wars-related belongs to Lucasfilm and Disney. Modified dialogue from "The Last Jedi" included in this chapter.
> 
> Oi, this chapter. As the MST3K crew said once, "Filmed in Soap Opera Vision." But Rey's barely more than a teenager, and she's extra-sensitive to anything that hurts her pride. This romance is going to start out messily.
> 
> Luke's assholishness in this chapter was completely intentional. He entirely deserved the verbal smackdown Leia laid on him, and he will have to humble himself to Rey to get back in her good graces. I'm not planning to have Bella Swan and Edward Cullen play Rey and Luke; don't worry.
> 
> Comments and/or criticism, please?


	10. The Dark Presence

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which Obi-Wan and Anakin set Luke straight about the night he almost fell, and Luke and Rey learn Rey's parents' names.

Luke turned around. Ben Kenobi was standing in front of him. Ben Kenobi, with his wrinkled face and white beard and twinkling eyes, looking the same as he always had. Behind him, Luke’s father stood, gray-haired, smiling warmly. Warm tears filled Luke’s eyes, and he could only hold out his hands, wishing he could hug them. _Forgive me_ , he wanted to say, but the words wouldn’t come out.

“It’s been so long, son,” his father said. He glided closer to Luke. “You’ve been through a rough time, haven’t you?” The simplicity and _kindness_ of the question touched him, made his chest ache. He struggled not to sob.

“It’s all right, Luke,” Ben—Obi-Wan—said. “You’ve suffered, but the worst is over. Now that you’re back with your friends and allies, now that you’re using the Force again, the worst is over.”

 _The worst is over._ Looking at his father and Obi-Wan, Luke could almost believe it.

“Why did you wait so long to call us?” Obi-Wan asked. There was no sign that he blamed Luke for what he’d done.

“You know why,” Luke said hoarsely. “You saw what happened…what I did…”

Ben still looked sympathetic. “I saw you made a mistake. I saw you were tempted, but you resisted it. I saw you stumbled, just as I did.”

“Just as you did? You didn’t try to kill one of your students!” Luke said.

His father smiled wryly. “Yes, he did. On Mustafar, remember?”

Ben hunched his shoulders in apparent shame. “Ah, Anakin…I still regret it, more than anything.”

“I regret what I did to you later,” said Anakin.

“But…but…” Luke wasn’t sure how to say it.

“But what?” asked his father.

“You’d—already fallen,” Luke said. “Obi-Wan didn’t—he didn’t _cause_ you to fall.”

“You didn’t cause Ben Solo to fall, either,” Obi-Wan said softly.

“What did you say?”

“You were not responsible for Ben Solo’s fall, Luke. Like—” Obi-Wan glanced briefly at his father. “—others, Ben Solo had already fallen.”

Luke stared at Obi-Wan in disbelief. Could Force-ghosts go insane? “I thought you said you saw what happened. I snuck into his room, I _drew a lightsaber on him_. _I was going to stab him_.” The memories were coming back, faster and faster; Luke had to keep them at the back of his mind. “He woke up and saw it…killed my…because...”

“You remember Ben Solo’s thoughts and actions well enough,” Obi-Wan said slowly, “but not your own.”

Luke laughed bitterly. “Oh, I remember them just fine. I’m not likely to forget I almost _murdered a man_ , especially my nephew.”

“Luke,” his father said, “do you really not remember? Why you went into Ben’s room in the first place? What you were originally going to do?”

“What does that matter? It’s what I _ended up doing_ that counts in this case.”

Obi-Wan shook his head. “I think not. Not this time.”

“What does that mean?” Luke demanded.

“You were not yourself that night.”

“You’re blaming _Ben_ for what I did?”

“That wasn’t Ben tempting you, Luke.” Obi-Wan sat down next to him. “Don’t you remember something else? Or _someone_ else?”

“There was no one there but me and Ben.”

“Not in the room; through the Force.”

Luke frowned, confused. “The evil I felt was all coming from Ben. I didn’t sense anyone else through the Force; how could I? I didn’t even know about the Knights of Ren until they joined him later that night.”

“He really doesn’t remember,” his father said softly. “No wonder he…should we show him?”

“Show me what?” Luke said impatiently. “What are you not telling me?”

Obi-Wan stroked his beard. “We can show you, but we’ll have to take you back to that night. I sense your horror when you remember it.”

 _Back to that night. I can’t! I won’t! But_ … Luke closed his eyes for a few seconds, breathed deeply and slowly, and finally said, “Show me.”

“Are you sure?” Obi-Wan looked at him concernedly.

“Yes, I’m sure,” Luke said, trying to speak bravely.

“So be it.” Obi-Wan shut his eyes. Luke felt him access the Force, and he shut his own eyes and accessed the Force in turn. In his mind, he traveled back seven years…

* * *

The bitter words Ben had hurled at Luke that afternoon still stung. Was it true? Had he and Leia and Han really never understood him? But they’d tried to help him for years. Wasn’t that why he was here, training to be a Jedi? Yet no matter what Luke taught him, the darkness remained in his Force signature, and the terrible visions were troubling Luke more and more.

All the same, Luke should not have lost his temper. Ben didn’t know what Luke had dreamed of lately. Nor did he know how much suffering they’d all undergone in the war with the Empire. Could Luke make him understand? Could he explain to Ben that he and Han and Leia still loved him, that it was the darkness in his Force signature and his admiration for Darth Vader they hated and not him? Luke briefly thought Ben might have worked that out for himself by now, but dismissed the uncharitable thought. Unhappy childhood memories prevented people from seeing things clearly.

Luke would have to make things clear to Ben. He would go talk to him now, apologize to him for losing his temper, and tell Ben everything he and his parents should have told him long ago. How Leia still had nightmares about Alderaan being destroyed, how Han remembered being tortured by Vader, how long it had taken Luke himself to accept that Vader was his father and still had good in him. How they were afraid for Ben, but they loved him; they were trying to help him, and they would save him from whatever was haunting him.

Luke’s spirits rose, and his determination grew. He walked down the dark hall of the Jedi Temple and knocked softly on Ben’s door. There was no reply. He knocked again and called Ben’s name softly, but no one answered. Luke slowly opened the door and slipped in. Somewhere in the back of his mind, he thought how ridiculous this was, how Ben would hate having his privacy disturbed, and how Luke’s apologies and explanations could wait until morning. But far stronger was a sense of urgency. It _couldn’t_ wait until morning, not if he was to save Ben from the Dark Side, once and for all.

Ben was already in bed, fast asleep.

Disappointed, feeling slightly foolish, Luke stole closer to the bed, trying not to wake him. The anger, pride, and impatience were wiped clean from his student’s face. But his Force signature…

The evil of Ben’s Force signature nearly knocked Luke over. It was like a vortex in a black hole, but flickering every so often with lightning or fire. Envy, rage, wounded pride, lust for power, with a hint of love and reverence shining through—but the love and reverence were all for the Empire and Darth Vader. Luke saw what Ben saw, and it was the same as in his visions: TIE fighters descending on the Rebel Fleet, Rebel ships exploding, Stormtroopers marching through city streets, a man in a black mask, holding a red lightsaber, and behind them all, something darker, even worse than the rest…

That dark, menacing presence seemed to crash down on Luke, drowning him in rage. Nausea ripped through his stomach, his teeth clenched, pain bored through his skull, he saw and felt himself writhing in agony on the floor, as Force lightning crackled around him.

 _Not again_ , he thought, and his head gave a tremendous throb in agreement. _Not the Empire again…_

It was all coming from the young man in front of him...HE would destroy all they’d worked for, HE would bring back the long, long nightmare of fighting, fleeing, dying friends, dying planets, pain…

A voice, unlike Luke’s own, seemed to echo in his skull. _One stab will end it._ Now the rage from Ben was enveloping Luke, and he drew his lightsaber. _One stab will stop it._ His visions, the horror, would never come to pass; all he had to do was kill the monster sleeping in front of him…

The monster whose eyes were opening…

* * *

Luke wrenched away from Obi-Wan, falling backwards onto the floor, panting. Through blurred vision, he saw his narrow bed, the table next to it, and the bare white walls of his room on the _Raddus_. He lay on his back, shaking, as the room whirled around him.

“Are you all right?” his father asked, bending over him.

Luke clenched his teeth; he was going to be sick. His father moved in and out of focus; he seemed to be talking to Obi-Wan, arguing with him. Luke closed his eyes as another wave of nausea hit. When it subsided, he opened his eyes again. His father and Obi-Wan looked clearer this time. They seemed to be looking at him expectantly.

“There _was_ something else there,” Luke rasped. “But what…who…”

“Your nephew’s master,” said Obi-Wan. His face was sympathetic; how could it be? “His presence was strong enough to affect you, as well as Ben Solo.”

“That was Snoke?” Luke said in disbelief. “It couldn’t have been. Leia and I have never felt anything from him like _that._ ”

“Darth Sidious hid his true intent from the Jedi for years,” his father said quietly. “None of us could prove anything until he revealed himself.”

“But… _Snoke?_ ”

“I’m not saying it was Snoke,” his father said, “just that it’s not as crazy as you think.”

“Then who was it?”

Obi-Wan and his father looked at each other briefly. “We don’t know,” Obi-Wan finally said. “It could have been one of many people.”

Luke’s stomach seemed to drop. “What are you saying?”

“It seems that Kylo Ren had more than one tempter,” Obi-Wan said. “Tempters with similar Force signatures, but different faces, as far as we can tell.”

 _More than one!_ Luke’s skin crawled, and nausea burned in his belly. Trying to fight against the presence of one Sith would have been bad enough, but if two of them had corrupted Kylo together, or maybe more than two, in succession…

“Ben never had a chance,” Luke said weakly. He wanted to sink into the floor. “Neither did I.”

“That’s not true!” his father said sharply. “Ben could have been saved. And you—you didn’t fall. You were tempted, but you didn’t fall.”

“I almost killed my nephew!” Luke said, his voice gaining strength as his anger flared up. “The only reason I stopped was because he woke up!”

“And you were horrified by what you almost did, when you came back to yourself,” Obi-Wan said, in an irritatingly calm voice. “You were so horrified that you went into exile to protect the Galaxy from yourself. No Sith would do such a thing.”

“How can you two still believe in me?” Luke said. Weakly, he pushed himself into a sitting position. “Everything I worked for has failed.”

“That’s not true either,” his father said. “There is still a Resistance, a strong Resistance. And there are still Force-sensitives. Future Jedi.”

 _Rey again_. Luke laid his chin on his. “You know about her, then.”

“You mean Rey? Of course.”

“Who is she, then? Was she born like…who were her parents?”

“Their names were Surto and Narissi Leng. A non-Force-sensitive couple who moved to Jakku from Coruscant,” Obi-Wan answered. Luke’s father said nothing, but turned away his head.

“Then she did have actual parents.” A tremendous burden seemed to be lifted from Luke’s mind. “She _was_ born. She’s not…” He glanced at his father and shut his mouth.

“Yes, she was born,” said Obi-Wan slowly, “but even if she hadn’t been, what difference would that have made? She would have still been a powerful Force user, and a loyal ally to the Resistance.”

Luke felt annoyed but relieved. “Then you think I should train her?”

“Of course, you should!” His father looked at him in disbelief. “Why waste her strength in the Force at a time like this?”

Obi-Wan grimaced. “Anakin is right. Tactless, but right. Train the girl, Luke. Make her your padawan.”

Luke cringed. _I won’t train another padawan_. Relieved as he was that Rey was a normal, Force-sensitive girl, happy as he was that his young friend—could she be considered his friend?—wasn’t a future Sith in the making, he was still a failure as a Jedi master. _But maybe if I taught her the basics…just enough so she’ll know what to do if she meets Kylo Ren again…_

However, he had a more difficult task ahead of him. He had to apologize to her.

* * *

Considering how he’d treated her, Luke wasn’t too surprised that Rey was avoiding him now. _Turn about is fair play._ His stomach twisted in guilt as he remembered. Had any Jedi Master been so cruel to his or her student before? Why hadn’t he just _told_ her his misgivings, instead of sneering at her?

He could never catch her alone. She was always with Finn and Poe Dameron and BB-8. She never spoke to him now, or asked him questions, or asked him to train her. Whenever he tried to catch her eye, she glared and turned away. He finally had to ask Leia to talk to Rey for him. “Tell her I’m ready to apologize,” he said ruefully. He had the feeling Leia and the rest of the Resistance was secretly laughing at him.

Rey met Luke in his quarters, standing before him stiffly as he sat in his chair. She stared at him in distrust.

“I’m sorry for how I treated you,” he said. There was no reaction from her. “I was angry and afraid, and I took it out on you.” Rey said nothing. Luke sighed. He had to choose his next words carefully. “The truth is—your strength in the Force is like Kylo Ren’s, and my father’s—Darth Vader’s. And Darth Vader—well, nobody knew where he came from either.”

Rey’s expression did not change. Luke didn’t know what to say; he floundered around helplessly. “But I know you’re not like him—father—Darth Vader, I mean. You had parents. I know who they are.”

Rey’s eyebrows went up in surprise. “What? How?”

“The Force,” Luke said. “My old teacher told me. It wasn’t much, just their names, really, but it was something.”

Rey trembled slightly, but stayed standing. “Who were they?”

“Their names were Surto and Narissi Leng,” Luke said. He watched as Rey mouthed the words. A tear rolled down her cheek. He went on, “They came from Coruscant. That’s all I know.”

Rey drew a sleeve over her eyes. “And…what happened to them?”

“I don’t know.” Dead, probably, considering Obi-Wan had used the past tense in speaking of them. Rey must have guessed the same, since she wiped her eyes again.

“I’m somebody,” she whispered. “Rey Leng. I’m _somebody.”_

“You’ve always been somebody,” Luke said. He stood up and took Rey’s hand. She abruptly pulled away from him. Luke held up his hands. “I’m sorry. Do you still want me to teach you the Force? We got off to a bad start, but I’ll try to do better this time.”

“Really.” Rey’s face was dry, and she sounded skeptical.

Luke smiled wryly. “Really. Leia knocked some sense into me, and my old teacher agreed with her.”

“Good,” Rey said, giving him a half-smile.

There was an awkward silence. “Do you want to start your lessons now?” Luke finally asked.

“I guess so,” Rey said. She didn’t sound too enthusiastic. Luke hoped he could build up her faith in him again.

He slid down from his chair to the floor. “Sit down on the floor in front of me.”

Rey groaned. “We’re doing _this_ again?”

“I’m afraid so. All beginning padawans have to go through with it.” He watched as Rey slowly sat cross-legged on the floor. “Close your eyes and reach out. With your feelings, not your hand.”

Rey shot him a sharp look, but Luke kept his face bland. She sighed and shut her eyes. Luke felt her access the Force, felt the radiance of her presence. He shut his own eyes and reached out to her with his feelings. Hopefully she would sense how much kindlier he felt towards her.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Everything Star Wars-related belongs to Lucasfilm and Disney.
> 
> Anakin's Force ghost will always be Sebastian Shaw to me. Changing him to Hayden Christiansen never made sense, no matter what flimsy excuses George Lucas gave about him "being the same age as when he fell to the Dark Side". It was just another hamfisted attempt to tie the prequels to the original trilogy.
> 
> Can you do the equivalent of mind-melds with the Force? Who knows? It seems like Force-users have some telepathic abilities in canon--talking to each other in their minds, for instance--so I figured it was plausible.
> 
> Comments, please?


	11. Torture

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> An interlude.

After her lesson with Luke, Rey felt so happy she could have sung for joy. She grinned at herself, wondering what the pilots would think if she started dancing and singing in the corridors. Accessing all of the Force, feeling the energy binding the universe together, was glorious. It seemed like Luke had meant it when he apologized; she’d actually _sensed_ he was sorry. And best of all…

"My name is Rey Leng,” she said aloud. “I’m somebody. I have a family!”

“What?” demanded a black-haired girl in a maintenance uniform, frowning.

Rey flushed; she said, “Sorry, I was talking to myself. Do you know where Finn is?”

“I saw him go back to the dormitory,” the girl said. The expression on her face didn’t change. Rey briefly wondered what she was so annoyed about before jogging down the corridor towards the dormitory.

Unlike the last time, the room was crowded. Rey scanned the room and found Finn, sitting on his bunk, watching something on a tablet. He turned his head and smiled as she came toward him.

“Finn, I just learned something. I have a family! I’m somebody!”

Finn’s eyes lit up and he jumped to his feet. “Really? That’s great!” He squeezed Rey so hard she could barely breathe. She gasped and choked out, “too tight!” which caused him to release her, but when he did, she laughed and threw her arms around his neck. Finn hugged her more gently this time. “Sorry, I didn’t mean to strangle you there. I was just so excited. So, you know who your parents were?”

“Yes,” Rey said, her heart swelling with pride. “Well, I know their names. Surto and Narissi Leng, from Coruscant.”

“Surto and Narissi Leng,” Finn repeated, stepping out of her arms. “So, you have a last name now. You’re Rey Leng.”

“Yes.”

“Rey Leng. I like how it sounds,” Finn said, smiling. “How’d you find out?”

“Luke told me. He learned it through the Force!”

“Through the _Force?_ How did—I mean—wow.” Finn shook his head. “I didn’t know you could find out stuff like that with the Force.” He looked wistfully at her. “If you or Luke ever find out who my family was, will you let me know?”

Guilt dampened Rey’s happiness. “Of course, we will. And your…er…your old name, too.”

“No, no; I like the name Finn. I just want to know where I came from, and who my parents were. Someday, if it’s possible.” Finn tried to smile. The _if it’s possible_ deepened Rey’s guilt, as it spoke of an abandonment even crueler than hers.

“Well…er…until then, do you want to share my last name?” Rey asked. “Sometimes I feel like you were the brother I never had.”

Finn’s face lit up. “Really? Do you really think that? Thank the Force! I mean—but I’d rather share—” Finn stopped and shut his mouth, his cheeks flushing.

“What? You’d rather share what?” Rey asked, confused.

“Poe’s name,” Finn said in a breathy voice.

“Finn Dameron? Why not? It does sound better, and— _oh_.” Rey noticed how Finn’s blush deepened, how he steadily looked away from her, and how he fidgeted with his hands. “You fancy him, don’t you?”

“No, it’s not like that!” Finn protested, but without looking at her. “It’s just—we’re best friends, and I _do_ like his last name, and—”

Rey couldn’t help laughing. “I think it’s wonderful. Have you told him?”

“Of course not!” he said indignantly. “How could someone like him love someone like me?”

“What are you talking about? Poe likes you a lot. Why wouldn’t he? You’re sweet, funny, cute, brave—”

Finn’s blush came back. “And I was a Stormtrooper! Besides, he’s a hero, he could fall in love with anyone in the Resistance, I don’t even know if he’s into guys…” Finn looked up at Rey helplessly. “You see why it wouldn’t work?”

“That’s stupid,” Rey scoffed. “Poe doesn’t mind what you were before joining the Resistance. And he’s—well, I don’t know much about him, but he _might_ be into you. He might be. You should tell him. It’s not like he’ll laugh at you if he’s not.”

“I guess not,” Finn said, looking at the floor. “I’m worried about him too.”

“Why?”

“Kylo Ren tortured him on the _Finalizer_ , before we escaped. He won’t say what Ren did to him, but it must have been horrible, because the General is making him see a psychologist for it. And he says he’s fine, but he’s not. I can see he’s not…”

As Finn talked, Rey’s thoughts went back to the tight restraints over her chest, Kylo Ren’s face looming large in her vision, and the fingers digging into her mind. She gasped as if the restraints were pressing the air out of her lungs, and she heard the monster’s voice, echoing in her brain, as he sifted through her thoughts…

“Rey? Rey? Are you okay?” Rey heard Finn’s voice. It sounded faint, as if it were coming from far away, but it brought Rey back to the present, to Finn’s worried face. Her stomach lurched; she leaped off the bed and ran to the fresher. She knocked into someone and didn’t bother apologizing. Thankfully, one stall was unoccupied. She knelt and vomited. After a while, she felt Finn’s hand, rubbing her back gently, and heard concerned voices. She sank back onto the floor, shaking, tears in her eyes.

“What is it? Do you want me to help you to bed?” Finn looked frightened. His hand stilled on her back as he waited for her answer.

Rey took a deep breath. “Kylo Ren tortured me too,” she whispered.

* * *

The Besalisk screamed, head thrown back eyes bulging out of their sockets, as Kylo Ren sifted through his mind. He saw Rey, and Chewie, and Skywalker—his blood boiled at the sight—sitting and eating in the diner the Besalisk—Arpo Frell, was that his name?—had spoken of. He could not find any other memories of his quarry in Frell’s mind.

He released the Force. Frell gasped and sobbed as the grip on his mind relaxed. Ignoring the noise, Kylo turned to Lieutenant Carrick. “He was telling the truth,” he said, his voice echoing coldly behind his mask.

“Very well, Lord Ren,” Carrick said. He turned to the prisoner, who was sagging in the interrogation chair, still weeping. “You’ve been telling the truth; Lord Ren is satisfied. Therefore, the First Order has decided to give you a light sentence: five years on Branth.”

“Thank you,” Frell gasped. “Thank you…didn’t see…didn’t know…”

“Be silent,” Lieutenant Carrick snapped. “It’s a more merciful fate than you deserve.” He turned to the two Stormtroopers waiting by the door. “Release him and take him back to the brig.”

Kylo turned his back on Carrick and the sniveling Besalisk, his hand clenching on his lightsaber. Rey and Skywalker had traveled to Coruscant, barged into the Jedi Archives under the very nose of the First Order, and now couldn’t be traced, except from what he saw briefly in the minds of the people he and Carrick had interrogated. A couple of speeder pilots, heading off to Branth along with Frell, and the librarian in the Archives, who had been executed quickly and quietly for treason.

The First Order had burned that shack in CoCo Town, the Blue Bantha; unfortunately, its proprietor had managed to escape. A few of the CoCo Town scum had been arrested, as a little demonstration of authority. As much as Kylo enjoyed private visions of the First Order’s ships bombarding Coruscant, he had to admit that Supreme Leader Snoke and Hux were right: an outright attack on the old Imperial capital was impractical, especially without a Starkiller Weapon. And a larger demonstration in CoCo Town, home to a great deal of Rebel activity under the Empire, might have provoked riots. There had been some grumbling among the pigs once the old inn was burned, but nothing more.

Besides, they would soon control Coruscant anyway, through Athril Voy. He was still leading in the polls, followed closely by Kalissa Lakalo. He would win the election, and after a decent interval, Supreme Leader Snoke would step in. And finally, Kylo would kill Snoke, reduce General Hux to the groveling little slave he deserved to be, and would rule the Galaxy with Rey by his side. He smiled under his helmet, warming with pleasure at the thought; Darth Vader’s voice rumbled in his head in approval.

* * *

Rose tried to stifle her anger. That selfish witch…no, Rey wasn’t selfish. She was an orphan who’d never known her parents; Finn had said she’d always wanted to learn who her family was. But why was she even with the Resistance? She’d been off with Luke Skywalker; she didn’t know what they’d been going through. And why hadn’t she finished Kylo Ren off, when she’d had the chance? And why hadn’t Skywalker done anything? _Because they’re Jedi._ _The Jedi didn’t do anything when Palpatine took over; why should they start now?_

“It would have been better if she’d never come back.”

Rose jumped; it was Lieutenant Wade’s voice. She whirled around to face the officer, who was staring in the direction that Rey had gone.

“What do you mean?” Rose asked sharply.

“Don’t get angry,” Lieutenant Wade said softly. “I mean, the Jedi have been more of a hindrance than a help in Galactic politics. I just think we’d be better off if they kept to themselves and didn’t interfere.”

“But the Jedi—how can you say that?” Rose said, trying to block out the echo of her own thoughts. “They kept the peace for thousands of years…”

“And ultimately failed,” Lieutenant Wade interrupted. “But I’m not surprised you have trouble seeing things clearly. Given the General’s bias…”

“Bias?”

“Because of her family. Given who her brother is, and who her father and son are…” Lieutenant Wade shook her head, pursing her lips. “I hate to say it, but I’m afraid General Organa may be growing soft in her old age. Now that her brother’s back, I fear for this Resistance.”

“What—how—” Rose spluttered. Why couldn’t she find the right words? “You—don’t talk about the General like that!”

“What, are we not allowed to criticize our superior officers now?” Lieutenant Wade chuckled. “Weren’t you criticizing her, not so long ago?”

“I was upset! I didn’t mean it!”

“Of course not.” Lieutenant Wade paused for a moment. “All the same, she and Skywalker are wrong, in this instance. Following Jedi philosophy won’t win this war. ‘Hate is the path to the Dark Side,’ indeed. When you’re at war, there is no Dark Side: it doesn’t matter what you do, as long as you win.”


	12. Nobody's Weakness

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which Luke develops a crush and makes a resolution.

Luke had disarmed Rey again. She scowled and sighed with exasperation as he pointed his lightsaber at her heart.

“Easy, Rey,” Luke said. “I know you’re frustrated, but shouting at me won’t help you learn the Makashi Form any faster.”

“I wish you’d stop doing that,” Rey snapped.

“I can’t help sensing your emotions, Rey. Trust me: this is a normal part of a Jedi’s training.”

“What about how I can’t do anything right? Is that normal?” Rey said bitterly.

“Can’t do anything right? What are you talking about? You’re doing fine on your Shii-Cho. You can sense the Force and stack small objects on each other. You’re doing perfectly well, for a beginning Force user.”

“But on Starkiller Base, I did so much stuff… _I fought Kylo Ren_ , and—” Rey clenched a fist and hit her thigh in frustration. “And now that you’re actually teaching me, I keep messing up. Why? What’s wrong with me?”

“Nothing is wrong with you, Rey,” Luke said firmly. “You’re doing fine for a beginner.”

“A beginner? I might have to fight Kylo Ren again! He might try to force himself into my mind. I don’t have _time_ to be a beginner!” Rey’s voice had risen and sounded panicky.

“Once you master the Makashi Form, you’ll be able to fight and defend yourself. And you _will_ master it eventually. Just be patient.”

Rey slowly stood up. “If I could just let the Force guide me, without being taught—”

“No, Rey,” Luke said firmly.

“But why not? Even if—” here she grimaced “—even if Kylo Ren did put those Force abilities in my mind, they helped me before, didn’t they?”

“It seems pretty clear that he gave them to you by accident; you didn’t actually learn them. They might not help you a second time.” Luke deactivated his lightsaber. “The Force doesn’t necessarily do what we want, unless we know how to use it. That’s why it’s so important for Jedi to know how to master the Force, instead of letting it master them. That’s why you need to be trained.

The frustration vanished from Rey’s face, and her shoulders slumped. “It’s so much harder than I expected.”

“It always is. I remember when I was your age, being trained by Master Obi-Wan and Master Yoda.” He smiled. “Just be glad I don’t make you give me piggyback rides.”

“Your teachers made you do that?”

“Master Yoda did. Drove me crazy; I even wondered whether Master Yoda was really the wise, powerful Jedi Master people said he was. And then he used the Force to raise my X-Wing up out of a swamp.”

“Just like you did on Ahch-To,” Rey said.

Luke nodded. “Exactly. I never doubted him after that.”

Rey turned away from him and picked up her lightsaber. Luke sensed discomfort and embarrassment from her. Was she still disappointed in her lesson?

“That’s enough lightsaber training for today. We’ll sit down and meditate,” Luke said. “It will calm you down.”

Rey’s face scrunched in a look of disgust. “I can’t just sit still for an hour.”

“Yes, you can,” Luke said gently. “I know it’s hard to be patient, especially when you’re anxious to learn. But again: every padawan has to do it.”

“Why?”

 _Because impatience is the path to the Dark Side,_ Luke almost said. He thought for a minute, trying to put it in a different way. “When Force-users act on impulse, out of anger or other strong emotions, it can have serious consequences,” he said finally. “For instance, if you were angry and felt like you hated somebody, and then drew your lightsaber—”

“Well, I would just not draw my lightsaber.”

“—or you wouldn’t even have to use a lightsaber; you could use the Force to choke somebody, or to hurl a heavy object at someone’s head, or even bring down a roof on their head—” Luke stopped. He couldn’t say anymore.

“When Ren—when I was on Starkiller Base, and I fought him, it seemed like I could use the Force so easily then. Was it because I was angry?”

Luke shook his head. “Anger doesn’t make it easier to access the Force; it makes it harder to control your use of the Force.”

“Isn’t that the same thing?”

“No. When I met Darth Sidious on the Second Death Star, I was still accessing the Force when I threw away my lightsaber. But if I hadn’t controlled my emotions—”

Realization came into Rey’s face. “Oh,” was all she said. Luke was relieved she understood. He didn’t want to talk about himself anymore.

Rey slowly sat down on the floor, cross-legged. “I’ll try to get better at meditating.”

Luke sat down across from her. “Just try and keep your mind calm. ‘There is no emotion, there is peace’. Let go of your worry, let go of your frustration…deep breaths…”

He closed his eyes and followed his own words. Meditation would be a relief to him, from the many thoughts swirling around his brain.

* * *

An hour later, when Rey left, Luke’s worries returned. Luke had not found any connections to Snoke or even any patterns in Lando’s list of battles. In a half hour, he would be going over the list with Leia. And another question occupied his mind, less important than anything relating to the Resistance and Snoke, but still persistent. The question was, should he let himself fall in love with Poe Dameron?

He was over twenty years Poe’s senior. But did that really matter? True, he’d aged a lot in the past ten years, but he was still in good health, and his mind was still sound. Or course, the question wasn’t what he thought of the age difference, but what Poe thought of it.

He thought of what Poe was to Leia, what he had been to Han. _More of a son than Ben was_. Would Leia be happy if Luke married Poe? If she didn’t mind the age difference, and Poe didn’t mind it, of course she would. Luke was her brother, and she would be happy if her brother married her protégé, almost her adopted son, if…

 _If her brother hadn’t betrayed her. Her and her husband and her son and everything the Jedi stood for_.

With this thought, Luke’s hopes began to fail him. Of course, Leia wouldn’t be happy, once she learned the truth. Of course, Poe would be disgusted with him if he knew. He was a failure in every respect: as a Jedi, as a man, as an uncle, as a guardian, as a lover.

By the time he left his room for Leia’s, Luke had come to his final resolution: he _wouldn’t_ let himself fall in love with Poe.

He found Leia sitting at her holoprojector, chin on her hands, apparently deep in thought. Judging from her Force signature, she was troubled.

“What’s the matter? Any bad news?” Luke asked anxiously.

Leia looked over her shoulder at him and immediately sat up in her chair. “Nothing that serious. Our codebreaker’s coming by tomorrow, and there’s an increase of Faceless activity in the Corporate Sector.”

“The Faceless? Kriff, like we didn’t have enough problems.”

“We don’t need to worry about them, unless they start expanding their influence. It’s Lakalo that concerns me more now. I don’t know how long Lando can hold the sword over his head, but now that he knows where our base is, we can’t get rid of him.” Leia shook her head. “Amilyn suggested keeping him in custody, but I put my foot down. We haven’t fallen that low yet.”

“What if his mother wins the election?”

“She won’t; Snoke won’t let her. She’s not compliant enough.” Leia shifted in her chair. “Anyway, the list of battles, Luke. Have you found anything?”

“Nothing. There’s no pattern to how or when they happened. Unrelated sectors, unrelated planets, there’s not even any evidence the leaders were in contact. Anyway, they all died in battle, or a few years later.”

“Which means they were probably distractions.”

Luke nodded. “The Imperial remnant must have been building up their force in the Unknown Regions between the Battle of Jakku and the Siege of Hays Major, but I can’t tell if Snoke was responsible.”

“No mention of him until the Battle of Borosk, right?” Leia’s voice was dry. “They covered their tracks well.”

Luke ran a hand through his hair. “I’m starting to think Lando was right; Snoke wasn’t the mastermind behind the First Order. But if it wasn’t him, who was it?” _Kylo Ren’s master_ , Obi-Wan’s voice said in Luke’s head. He pushed it to the back of his mind. but Leia must have noticed his facial expression.

“You just thought of something. What is it?”

Luke opened his mouth, but he couldn’t say anything. _Not the Empire again…one stab will end it…one stab will stop it…Kylo Ren woke up…_

“Luke?”

Luke wrenched his mind back to the present. _I can’t tell her. Force help me, I just can’t_. “I’m remembering something Obi-Wan said about Kylo Ren. He said…Snoke may not have turned him to the Dark Side.”

“Does Obi-Wan know who it was?” When Luke shook his head, Leia huffed. “You’d think being one with the Force would give you more knowledge of everything.”

“Unfortunately, it doesn’t. Not everything.”

“So if Obi-Wan is right, Snoke is a latecomer, and someone else started the First Order. Snoke must have had a master at one time.”

“Which doesn’t help explain who he is, or how the First Order started,” Luke said, relieved Leia had accepted his lie.

“Dead ends everywhere,” Leia said, slowly standing up. “No new information on how to bring the First Order down. We’ll just have to go on as we are.”

As always, Luke admired Leia’s composure when she bowed to the inevitable. At least the election and the formation of a puppet Republic on Coruscant had given them some breathing space, but how long would it last? Would Ren and Snoke manage to track them down eventually?

These questions were still troubling Luke at dinnertime. Leia, Luke, and Chewie had a private evening meal, and Poe Dameron joined them, which meant the less important question bothered him as well. Poe and Leia both reminisced about his parents, and their time in the Rebel Alliance, and Yavin IV. Luke remembered former times just as clearly, but he couldn’t bring himself to join in. He listened, though, and he watched Poe throughout the meal. He couldn’t help himself.

Poe was a little cocky, a little brash, but with such courage and skill as a pilot, why wouldn’t he be? He was like Han, in a way, and Luke’s pleasure in watching and listening to Poe was mixed with pain whenever he thought of that. And Poe had such a sunny personality, a warmth that he seemed to exude when he spoke to you. Luke had noticed it even before the unimportant question started troubling him. All the other pilots brightened whenever Poe talked to them, Red Squadron raved about him, Finn, the former Stormtrooper, never left his side, and even Luke himself felt his spirits lift around him. Who could be around such a friendly, handsome man and not fall under his spell? Who could fly under his command or fight by his side and not love him for his personality, if not his looks?

Luke tried to stifle these thoughts, because of his resolution, but they kept coming back. After the meal, he went back to his room and tried meditating. Thank the Force he’d resolved not to fall in love with Poe. He was so handsome, so radiantly kind, so unspoiled by the evils of war and politics, that he was definitely glad he’d come to that conclusion.

 _But this is all the more reason you should fall in love with him._ Luke cringed and argued with himself in his mind. He was fifty-three years old; he’d avoided any normal life of dating, marriage, and children, due to his celibacy as a young Jedi; he didn’t have any of Poe’s social skills, from living in isolation for so long; he’d grown cowardly in his old age, as he’d been willing to abandon the Resistance; he’d almost fallen to the Dark Side and murdered his nephew—never mind what Obi-Wan and his father said; it had still happened—and he had nothing to compensate for all these defects, nothing but his love and general hope of atoning for his near fall. If a broken-down old man like him persuaded himself he could hope to date or marry a winning young man like Poe, it would be a pitiful weakness.

Why should he be depressed? It wasn’t his weakness he was imagining. It was nobody’s, nobody he knew of, so why should it bother him? But it did bother him, and no amount of reasoning or meditation could bring him out of his gloom.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Everything Star-Wars-related belongs to Lucasfilm and Disney. The names of Jedi lightsaber techniques come from Wookiepedia. The chapter title was taken, and some of the writing was adapted, from Chapter 16 of Charles Dickens' "Little Dorrit," "Nobody's Weakness".


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